A blood bank will soon rise in Sta. Rosa, Laguna that will serve the whole province, including nearby cities after the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) lead its groundbreaking on Wednesday.

PRC chairperson and chief executive officer (CEO) Senator Richard Gordon thanked the local government unit, PRC Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers who made possible the construction of the facility.

“Sa pamamagitan ng blood bank ay mas marami tayong matutulungan na higit na nangangailangan ng dugo. Mapapabilis din ang paghahatid ng services gaya ng (Through the blood bank, we will be able to help more people in need of blood. This will also speed up the delivery of services such as) blood services, disaster response, recovery, psychosocial first aid amongst others,” Gordon said.

He assured that PRC will continue in performing its mandate and its mantra of being “always first, always ready, and always there” wherever help is needed.

From 2019 to September this year, Gordon said that the PRC Laguna Chapter has already dispensed 71,640 units of blood.

He added that the soon-to-be-constructed blood bank is expected to further increase the chapter’s capacity to serve more individuals in need of blood.

Meanwhile, the PRC Laguna Chapter initiated various activities amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

He said the chapter has already collected more than 5,995 saliva specimens through its saliva collection sites since its opening in February 2021.

They have also vaccinated more than 16,255 individuals through its Bakuna Centers and the Bakuna Bus with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). (PNA)