29/04/2026
๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฌ 655 ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ขรณ๐ง
Access to basic healthcare remains a challenge for many residents in this host barangay of key industrial operations.
Bridging that gap, Solid Earth Development Corporation (SEDC) conducted on February 28, 2026, a comprehensive medical mission that served 655 beneficiaries, underscoring its commitment to communities that support its operations.
South Poblaciรณn hosts SEDCโs port facility and the manufacturing plant of its primary client, making the outreach not just an act of service but a reaffirmation of shared growth and responsibility.
Mitzie Almira I. Carin, SEDC division manager for human resources and administration, emphasized the importance of reaching communities where healthcare is often beyond financial reach.
โMany of our stakeholders in host barangays still struggle to access even the most basic medical services due to cost and distance,โ she said.
โThrough these missions, we help ease that burden, bringing doctors, medicines, and care directly to them, especially for families who would otherwise go untreated,โ she added.
Held within the barangay, the mission provided general consultations, dental care, optical services, random blood sugar (RBS) testing, and free haircuts, with medical teams and volunteers attending to residents throughout the day.
A total of 155 adults, 137 children, and 47 senior citizens received medical consultations, while dental services reached 15 children and 38 adults, reported Lou Divina Cauba, SEDC deputy community relations officer.
Optical services benefited 128 residents, aged 38 and above, many of whom received vision screening and eyeglasses. Meanwhile, 88 adults underwent RBS testing, and 47 residents availed of the free haircut service.
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Health data gathered during the mission revealed persistent and preventable conditions in the community, according to Cauba.
The top cases recorded were vitamin deficiency with 198 cases (31%), followed by cough with 153 cases (24%), and colds with 103 cases (16%), she said.
Other leading concerns included hypertension, body pain, fever, skin allergies or rashes, loose bowel movement (LBM), and boils or wounds, she added.
Less common but notable cases involved headache, arthritis, dizziness, heart palpitations, insomnia, anemia, hyperacidity, mouth sores, diabetes, eye irritation, sore throat or tonsillitis, urinary tract infection (UTI), and asthma.
While manageable, these conditions can worsen without timely medical attention, realities that many residents face.
โWhat we are seeing are largely treatable illnesses that persist because access to care remains limited,โ Cauba said, adding โthis is why we continue bringing these services directly to the community.โ
A team of volunteer doctors carried out the mission. They included Drs. Viveca Gabrielle Estella, Warfe Navasquez, Rene Galo M. Palay, Armindo N. Ceniza Jr., and Jake Ian P. Seno.
Drs. Fe Barcinilla and Gerard Barcinilla provided the dental services with Marie Isabel Fernandez assisting.
Some 19 barangay health workers supported the m ission, along with barangay officials led by Captain โAs-Asโ Taping Jr. and councilors Lilian โDayenโ Mingoy, Gervin James Villamero, Espe Lariosa and Jun Michael Pasilan.
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SEDC technical adviser and director Fumikazu Murakami and vice president Noel P. Lorica oversaw the mission, joined by executives of Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc. (TCPI).
Being there, plant manager Tsutomu Hirobe with SVPs Tatsuya Sato, Tatsuhiro Yamamoto and Taro Sumi, with Yuki Okumura and Hitoshi Fujita, demonstrated the alignment of both companies in delivering programs that directly benefit host communities.
Carin underscored that the initiative goes beyond numbers.
โOur presence here reflects a deeper commitment to ensure that communities hosting our operations feel the tangible benefits of partnership,โ she said.
โHealthcare is one of the most meaningful ways we can give back, because it directly improves lives,โ she added,
Barangay chieftain Taping expressed gratitude for the continued outreach, saying the medical mission is a significant help to his constituents, especially those who have limited means to seek medical attention.
โNanghinaot ako nga kini ipadayon alang sa kaayuhan ug benepisyo sa tanan,โ he said, noting that his community saw the mission was more than a one-day event.
It was a vital opportunity to receive care that many would otherwise have to forego, reinforcing SEDC and TCPIโs role as partners not only in industry but in community well-being.
Since 2005, the rotating medical missions have already assisted at least 32,565 residents across San Fernando.
