Army brings health services to remote Basilan village
ISABELA CITY—Mercy Sevilla, 34, mother of three and the wife of a rubber tapper, was ecstatic upon knowing that the military will conduct medical outreach in their far-flung village of Baluno of this city in Basilan province.
Sevilla, with her three children, walked almost 2 kilometers last Wednesday to Latuan Elementary School so they could register early, hoping she would take home vitamins and medicines needed by her family in case of emergency.
“It’s a big help to us because it’s free, that is why we took advantage. We hardly have this kind of medical services,” Sevilla told the Inquirer in Chavacano. “The [military] have doctors to examine my kids with skin problems. We don’t have money to go to Isabela (city proper) to see a doctor or health worker.”
With a population of close to 4,000, the interior village of Baluno lies amid a rubber plantation over 9 km from the city center, or a 45-minute ride.
Analie Taib, 35, a mother of four and also the wife of a rubber tapper, rushed to Latuan Elementary School, thankful to the military for the rare chance to avail of free medicines for her youngest son John Vincent, whose allergies and itchiness had spread to his head, chest, arms and legs.
Sevilla and Taib were among the 500 parents of about 600 children who benefited from the medical outreach initiated by the Philippine Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade (IB) on Wednesday as part of its 23rd anniversary activities.
Mothers’ appeal
Both mothers appealed to local government officials to make it a regular community service to far flung villages like Baluno, where scarce money is prioritized for food and medicines are limited at the local health center.
Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin said that out of the 45 villages in the city, Baluno belongs to the top 10 barangays with high cases of malnutrition.
Tubarin, who joined the Army’s medical mission, said the city offers 120 days of child feeding followed by continuous monitoring, which has been effective in improving health conditions in villages, including Baluno, with many malnourished children.
She promised to look into the requests of the rubber tappers’ wives to make dental and health-care services available and accessible especially in Sitios Cawa-Cawa and Look Jambangan, which are still part of Baluno.
Dr. Arlyn Jawad Jumao-as, a physician based in Lamitan City who volunteered to help the Army brigade in their outreach mission, noted that the children needed regular health monitoring due to malnutrition.
She said the village was remote and some of the residents in Baluno were even her patients who went all the way to Lamitan.
“Despite the malnutrition among some children, I see happy and friendly faces because these kids didn’t experience armed conflict in the past,” said Jumao-as, who brought toys and goodies for the children.
Giving back
Military dentist Capt. Michael Asaña noted that a number of his young patients with permanent teeth have already suffered from tooth decay.
“For ordinary and struggling families, going to the dentist is very expensive. I found out that tooth extraction alone costs them P800 to P1,000. What they need is regular education on dental care. Investing in the regular use of toothpaste saves them from going to the dental clinic,” Asaña said.
Brig. Gen. Alvin Luzon, 101st IB commander, said the medical and dental outreach is their way of giving back to the people.
“Sustaining peace is not about bringing arms and weapons, sustaining peace is about bridging communities to our leaders for them to become reliable partners in fostering development. We hope to do similar programs in other remote villages,” Luzon added.
