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TCC staff in partnership with the Buguias-Mankayan Organisation met on 23 May, 2015 to decide on the applications put forward for the newly opened 5 slots for our scholarship program. Applicants are from different range of inteligence and talents. Some are high school salutatorians, current university student with excellent grades, and some are student leaders. The team decided to dedicate these slots to Buguias and Mankayan applicants as they vowed to continue to support the program. The rest of the applicants will then be opened for sponsorship from TCC’s international supporters. TCC’s international team is currently supporting 22 scholars (previously 27, as 5 have already graduated) at Benguet State University and Don Mariano Memorial State University- La Union. At the meeting, it was decided that 3 scholars will be opened for each of the 2 Municipalities, resulting to a total of 6 new scholarship slots. The team then shortlisted 5 applicants from each of the municipalities for final interview by our TCC- Philippines Chairman, Sir Gregorio Taag, professor at BSU, where the final 3 will be selected. Below are the shorlisted applicants:

BUGUIAS SCHOLARS:
1. ANTONIO, Miller Keith- Sinipsip, Buguias
2. DAMPILAG, Jenesia- Bangao, Buguias
3. BENTAYON, Fraulin- Daligdig, Bangao, Buguias
4. DANGPA, Marialy-Loo, Buguias
5. DAMPILAG, Denesia- Loo, Buguias

MANKAYAN
1. BANGLOD, Romulo- Poblacion, Mankayan
2. MALUTE, Clarisse- Balili, Mankayan
3. BUGARIN, Danic- Suyoc, Mankayan
4. BAGAYAO, Princes- Bauko, Mt Province and Balili, Mankayan Benguet
5. BUGARIN, Blessie- Suyoc, Mankayan

As agreed, 3 scholars for each of the two municipalities will be taken. The 2 that will not be taken will be included on the 10 waiting lists who will be offered for sponsorship by our international supporters and donors. The other 10 applicants are:

1. BANDIWAN, Charlotte D.- Loo, Buguias
2. DAMIAN, Margie- Tuba, Benguet
3. LAMPACAN, Julliane- Abatan, Buguias
4. LAOYAN, Brandy- La Trinidad, Benguet but from Kapangan, Benguet
5. MILO, Ryan Pablo- Tuba, Benguet
6. LABBOT, Chrishel- Tuba, Benguet and Sagpat, Kibungan
7. LABOT, Karen- Tuba, Benguet
8. UDAN, Irene P.- Tuba, Benguet
9. BALOC, Analyn- Hingyon, Ifugao
10. BAO-IDANG, Shireen G.- Abatan, Buguias

We are now then asking for anyone who would like to support one of these students so they can have a bright future.

In connection with this project, Buguias-Mankayan Organisation will be holding its BINNADANG FESTIVAL on 13 June 2015, at the Marian Community Centre, Kilburn London NW6 5RS, 6PM. Part of the proceeds of these events will be funding the said scholarship program. The event will feature interesting activities that will surely bring fun to alleviate homesickness and improve camaraderie as well as to promote the spirit of helping within the community: Mr Gay competition is a fun game for men who will spoof real gays in pageant competition. Cultural dances featuring Tinaktkayad, Ginalding and Pattong. The new SUI GENERIS BAND who will bring Folk, Rock, and Country Music.

We are joining the cry of our Filipino Nurses here in the United Kingdom who have been irresponsibly tagged, stereotyped and racially discriminated by the Daily Mail Newspaper in connection with Victorino Chua’s case. We demand public apology. Victorino Chua does not represent the whole Filipino Nurses who are serving as a strong element of the backbone of the NHS as well as in private health sector here in the UK.

I was saddened as I was approached by a concerned individual and neighbour working in Malaysia. They are clamoring for help for their friend who is currently confined due to aneurysm. They are pleading if TCC can help. TCC is crying too and wishes to help… Only if we could. Thank you to the people who are putting their trust in us. One thing we can do is to share your plea to our social world. Hoping good hearts can help. Here are the facts given to us by the concerned individual:

Myrna Bugtong: Her case is ANEURYSM. She suffered SEVERE STROKE and she is in CRITICAL CONDITION. Once her brain bleeds again she will die. Today CELEBRAL ANGIOGRAM was done and thanks to Dr. Siy neuro sergeon for signing himself in behalf of the family because he knows the condition of the patient. Tomorrow an operation will be done, if not, she will die anytime. He said he will do the best he can because Myrna is still young. Her boss confirmed that she can not do anything with her because she is only a partime with them. Operation costs Rm10,000.00 90% to survive. Evas Julia and Myrna’s immediate family (cousins) Mary Salvador and Steward Rhino are the contact persons. Update from Evas Julia (Facebook):

In behalf of the pleading kailians, TCC would like to ask for kind hearts who could help. Donations can be extended thru our charity bank account here in England:

Bank: HSBC

Account Name: THE CORDILLERA CONNECTION

Account Number: 71608193

Sort Code: 40-02-01

Note For Donors Outside United Kingdom:

International Bank Account Number (IBAN): GB12MIDL40020171608193

Salamat.

Yours Truly,

TCC Founder

According to TCC’s health professional partners and advisers, short supply of blood and blood products is due to lack of voluntary blood donors. Large portion of the public, according to them, are not well informed about the importance of blood donation.

To initially give light to such misconceptions, Ms Lyka Delmas Bagano, Medical Laboratory Technologist at Red Cross, wants to share this info from Red Cross about facts on Blood Donation:

“There is always a need for blood donors. Modern medical care, including surgery and medical treatment for many diseases, is not possible without the use of blood products. A shortage of blood products means that someone may not get prompt, adequate care.”

Excuses never save a life, Blood Donation does”.

Ms Fei Paas, another Medical Technologist, one of the initiator of this project, shares her following professional notes too:

BENEFITS OF BLOOD DONATION TO THE DONORS
1. IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH– Blood donation helps in lowering blood viscosity, thus, promoting better blood flow decreasing the chance of heart attack and lowers the risk of severe cardiovascular events like stroke.
2. REDUCES THE RISK OF CANCER AND OTHER SEVERE ILLNESSES – Blood donation balances Iron levels in the blood, thus, decreasing free-radical damage linked to excess Iron levels in the body and in turn decreases the risk of cancer, type 1 diabetes, cardiac arrhythmias, Alzheimer’s dse., etc.
3. WEIGHT MANAGEMENT – for every pint of blood given, 650 calories are burned. Combined with healthy living, the body can achieve a better fit.
4. HEALTHY BODY AND GLOWING SKIN – bloodletting allows the production of new blood cells. Replenishment of blood will refresh the circulatory system and in the process, all the other systems in the body. This improves oxygenation of blood and the body’s cells, the removal of toxins and improves all metabolic processes, giving you a healthy glow.
5. FREE MINI-PHYSICAL HEALTH CHECK-UP – prior to bloodletting, donors are given a physical health examination – checking of blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature, haemoglobin levels, and blood type – to see if they are fit to donate.
6. FREE BLOOD EXAMINATION – Blood units are tested for blood transmitted diseases like HIV 1/2, syphilis, Hepatitis virus, and malaria. If the unit will turn out reactive to one of these tests, the donor will be informed for early treatment.
7. FREE STUFF – Sometimes, give-aways are given to donors as appreciation, but bear in mind that this doesn’t happen all the time.
8. PSYCHOLOGICAL SATISFACTION – donating your blood is a noble cause. There’s nothing that beats the sense of accomplishment/achievement that comes with the joy of saving lives. You may deem yourself as ordinary but to somebody else, you’re a hero.

BENEFITS/EFFECT OF BLOOD DONATION TO THE GENERAL POPULATION
1. A unit of blood transfused may give someone a second chance at life. Take note, one unit of blood can save one up to three lives.
2. Regular blood donation will ensure a healthy, reliable, adequate, and safe supply of blood in the blood bank. With more donors, blood will be readily available when needed. This cuts-off or lessens the stress put upon family members of the patient in finding an immediate donor.
3. Blood transfusions are used to support various therapies. So your blood can help someone live a healthy/normal or near to normal life (i.e. persons undergoing dialysis or chemotherapy).

SOME MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT BLOOD DONATION
1. There are others who are donating. According to the PNRC, supply of blood is lesser than the demand; hence, some patients were not catered to. Even if there are others who are donating, it is still not enough. Besides, it is better to have a little extra than to have shortage.
2. My blood isn’t the right type. All blood types are needed.
3. I don’t have enough to spare. A healthy Individual will always have enough to spare. Besides, prior to bloodletting, you will be examined if you are fit to donate.
4. It will hurt. Yes, it will hurt a bit, like a pinching sensation, but what is that compared to the one who will be saved by it.
5. They will sell my blood to the recipient. This is one of the most common misconceptions about blood donation. The fee collected from the patient is actually for the compensation of the screening and processing of the blood product NOT payment for the blood. However, once you’ve utilized a blood, you have to replace it with a donor to maintain the supply of blood.
6. I might extract a disease due to blood donation. This is not possible unless you already have an underlying illness. Materials used for bloodletting are all disposable and used by one person only eradicating the possibility of transmitted diseases.

In response to the short supply of blood and blood component to patients needing blood transfusion within the Cordillera Region, The Cordillera Connection (TCC) is creating partnership with Red Cross-Benguet Chapter (soon to work out partnership with Red Cross-Baguio) in order to help increase reserves of this patient’s basic commodity in the blood bank. TCC sees this as an additional assistance to its beneficiaries who are regulary in need of blood transfusion.

Remember when our Cordilleran friends have initiated TCC to call for help for our brothers in the SAF service who have heroically fallen in the hands of the heartless and merciless barbaric extremist terrorist rebels, MILF and BIFF, in Mindanao?

This article is to update our cordilleran brothers and sisters. Just few days after the barbaric massacre of our servicemen brothers, we were suggested to create a solicitation drive and finally agreed and published a link entitled Tribute To Our Fallen Heroes: SAF-CORDILLERA. From day 1 of its posting until the writing of this survey, the unexpected course of events were as follows:

1. According to our website’s statistics, almost 9,000 Facebook users have shared the link and 7 tweets by Twitter users.

2. Following our posting, similar donation drives from different colorum as well as respected individuals and groups have sprouted in the social media including the donation drive by our very own government thru the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) whirlwind-like initiative of opening a bank account for the purpose of solicitation.

3. The Top 6 readers and sharers of our link were based in Canada, Philippines, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and United States. Surprisingly, sharers and readers from United Kingdom where our staff are geographically concentrated came only 7th followed by Singapore, Israel, and Libya.

4. Within the 3 week period that the link has been posted, only one kindhearted person has acted on the call. Our TCC project initiator who have called us to start this project has also given his pledge. The following image is a screenshot of the in-flow activities in our charity’s bank account showing the donation:

With the poor responce to our solicitation drive, there is obviously a difficulty for us to meet our initial objectives in accumulating a fund to be distibuted to the families of our fallen heroes as well as the planned tribute concert. Some TCC trustees have suggested that this very small amount accumulated will be coursed thru to the solicitation drive of a well-known cordilleran businessman/ lawyer and his group to have a unified solicitation. It is also suggested that this small fund be augmented by some TCC trustees to continue organising the tribute concert. Although the planned tribute concert is to be organised in memory of our fallen heroes, the proceeds will be for TCC beneficiaries who are mostly on long-term medications due to their chronic life-threatening illness. This idea is due to the fact that the families of our fallen heroes are expected to receive compensations from the government as well as from private donors. The planned tribute concert will be entitled “CONCERT FOR LIFE 13: A Tribute Concert To Our Cordilleran SAF 13 Heroes, For The Benefit Of Our Sick Brethren.” In this way, our remembrance to our fallen heroes thru this concert will benefit numbers of beneficiaries. For a background, our beneficiaries, their families relatives and friends will be selling tickets of the concert. Each beneficiary keeps whatever they have sold so they can use it directly for their medical needs. As usual, this will be a one-way project of TCC. It means that the funding of the concert will not be taken back from the sales of our beneficiaries. This method, has been tested by TCC to be effective and efficient rather than distributing our small cash funds to the beneficiaries as dole or alms. May we then take this opportunity to take survey on what is the best thing to do. Please take time to respond to the following survey. This will help a lot in making our decision regarding the small donation and the additional pledges from our TCC trustees, staff, founder and volunteers who are supporting our initiatives:

[polldaddy poll=8660682]

To anyone who would still wish to donate, donations are still accepted at our United Kingdom charity bank account. Details are as follows:

Bank: HSBC

Account Name: THE CORDILLERA CONNECTION

Account Number: 71608193

Sort Code: 40-02-01

International Bank Account Number (IBAN): GB12MIDL40020171608193 Please use

REFERENCE: SAF-CORDI

And even though we ain’t got money,
I’m so in love with you, honey,
And everything will bring a chain of love.

The Fine 3 also called The Kultura Band really gave it a good shot on their performance at TCC’s Concert For Life 12 at the Baguio Convention Centre on 09 January 2015. They are one of the bands who are giving high hopes to our beneficiaries. Thanks to them. A meaningful piece for the this month of love.

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Filipinos in London are awaiting the Philippines Cultural Show on Saturday, 18 October 2014 at The Waterlily Wickam Suite located at 69-89 Mile End Road, Whitechapel, E1 4TT, London.

Various cultural dances of the different provinces and regions of the Philippines will be showcased by the very well known professional dance group, Lahing Kayumangi. As part of showcasing the Filipino culture, live music band performances will depict Pinoy lifestyle thru music featuring OPM, folk, rock, and country songs. The band performers include Mountain Music Band, Crossborder, and Restless Natives. One of Pinoy’s Pride, former Miss Saigon cast , Renee Montemayor will also be performing. The Filipino taste will also be on highlight as pinoy delicacy will be served to delight everyone.

Different filipino communities coming from different parts of London and the rest of United Kingdom as well as audience of different nationalities are also expected to attend

.

Safetrip to our guests who are coming from other UK locations as far as Norwich and Devon. For Londoners, here are the TRAVEL DIRECTIONS TO:
PHILIPPINES CULTURAL SHOW
THE WATERLILY
69-89 Mile End Road, Whitechapel, E1 4TT
Saturday, 18 October 2014
BUSES 25 AND 205 ARE THE ROUTES going to the venue. Bus 25 can be taken from Oxford Street/ Soho Street and 205 can be taken from Paddington, Maryleborne or Baker Street. Get off at STEPNEY GREEN, BOOTH MEMORIAL BUS STOP, the VENUE is just infront of the Bus Stop.
TUBE/ UNDERGROUND/ OVERGROUND/ TRAIN: The District Line, Hammersmith & City and the Overground Lines are the routes servicing the area. The venue is in between Whitechapel Station and Stepney Green Station. Get Off on either the stration and just walk 2-3 mins to the venue. If coming out from Whitechapel Station, turn left towards the venue. If coming out from Stepney Green, turn right towards the venue. If lost, call any of these numbers
07753317069
07828429457
07583636174
07400661466
07411177652
07887429614
07854931762
07728059955
07534106336
We encourage Pinoy Londoners not to miss this event.
See you all there.

27–year–old patient is latest robbery victim
by Harley F. Palangchao

Robbers spare no one.

A 27-year-old patient undergoing intensive therapy due to a life-threatening spinal injury is one of the latest victims of robbery in Baguio.

Through a concerned citizen, this writer received an information last week saying Guydeal Mana-a was robbed in his uncle’s house at Puliwes barangay on Aug. 31.

Taken from his room were P4,000, gas stove, liquefied petroleum gas tank, and assorted clothes. The burglars left his maintenance medicines.

“It’s a very unfortunate incident considering that Guydeal is suffering from spinal injury,” said professor Gregorio Taag, country president of The Cordillera Connection (TCC), a group assisting the victim and other terminally-ill patients in the region.

Mana-a spends a huge amount for his therapy due to a spinal injury he suffered few years ago.

The injury impaired his movement, which gives him muscle spasms all over his body.

Through the help of TCC that holds Concert for Life series and other supporters, Mana-a sought treatment at St. Luke’s Medical Hospital in Manila but the cost of therapy has drained his family’s resources.

Councilor Faustino Olowan extended help to Mana-a by writing an appeal to possible benefactors to support his medication and therapy.

While it appeared that suspects in the robbery are still on the loose, concerned friends of the patient are hopeful they will by apprehended.

Taag announced the TCC Concert for Life 11 to be held at the La Trinidad Municipal Gym on Sept. 21 in a bid to raise fund for more than 20 patients, including Mana-a.

The concert also supports the studies of poor but deserving students in the region.

This article is being republished in this website, courtesy of Baguio Midland Courier.