Carig, TUGUEGARAO CITY (August 15, 2003) – Braving rains and extremely rugged roads, the staff of the Veterans Regional Hospital (VRH) in Bayombong teamed up with personnel of the DENR-Mines and Geosciences Bureau-Region 2 (MGB-2) and trekked to the hinterland mining community of Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya to conduct a medical and dental mission on August 6, 2003.

A joint project of the Provincial Government of Nueva Viscaya and MGB-2, the medical mission was attended by almost 700 Didipio residents who trooped to the barangay clinic for medical examination and treatment.

“We were able to serve 360 medical patients and 188 dental patients while 248 people were analyzed for blood type and 15 children were circumcised with free medicines given to all the patients,” MGB-2 Regional Director Jerrysal C. Mangaoang reported.

Educational lectures were also extended to children and mothers on dental care and family planning, respectively. Nursing students of the Aldersgate College of Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, also assisted doctors and personnel from the VRH. MGB-2 personnel, on the other hand, facilitated the whole activity with the help of volunteer workers from the community.

Nueva Viscaya Governor Rodolfo Q. Agbayani made an early trip to Didipio in order to personally launch the mission but was forced to discontinue the trip when his service vehicle could not get through the slippery road at Barangay Capisaan. The Governor, however, instructed Kasibu Mayor Romeo Tayaban and other municipal officials to fully support the mission.

Municipal officials acknowledged the efforts of the Provincial Governor, DENR-MGB, Department of Health, VRH staff, and the mining companies who participated in the medical mission. The latter group includes Climax-Arimco Mining Corporation, which provided transport and accommodations to the medical mission team and other guests, Philex Mining Corporation and Oxiana Philippines, Inc., which donated several medicines.

Local officials noted that the medical mission was the first in Didipio in many years and they expressed hope that similar outreach programs will be implemented in the future.

The Didipio mission is the first in a series of medical and dental missions in the various mining communities of Nueva Vizcaya, to be implemented by MGB-2 and Governor Agbayani.

“We plan to replicate the medical mission at Barangay Pao in Kasibu and at Runruno in Quezon, both in the Province of Nueva Vizcaya and at Dingasan, Cabarroguis, Quirino,” RD Mangaoang announced. (By Ben Gapongli, MGB Region 2)