Lingkod Timog Medical Mission Sites and Patients Served
        (combined medical, surgical, dental patients):

    2005    Arena Blanco, Zamboanga        1,000+ Badjaos
    2006    Arena Blanco, Zamboanga        1,236   Badjaos
    2007    Lipay Dingin, Iba, Zambales         330   Aetas
                Maasin, Zamboanga                      868   Badjaos
                Sangali, Zamboanga                      426   Badjaos
    2008    Marilog (Buda), Davao                  422   Lumads
                Maasin, Zamboanga                      818   Badjaos
                Daap, Sangali, Zamboanga           536   Badjaos
                Lamitan, Basilan                         1,300+ Badjaos
                Lugus, Sulu                                    800+ Badjaos
    2009    Daap, Sangali, Zamboanga        1,057   Badjaos
                Taluksangay, Zamboanga          1,075   Badjaos

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2009 Medical Mission

A Rhode Island-based humanitarian group recently completed its 5^th annual medical mission in the Philippines.  Called “Lingkod Timog” that translates to “Serving the poor in the Southern Philipiines”, the group attended to more than 2,000 tribal patients in the Philippine island of Mindanao from February 19 to 23.  The group provided medical, surgical and dental care to Badjao patients in Zamboanga, the southwestern tip of Mindanao Island in the Philippines.  The Badjaos are seafaring tribal people who are even discriminated against by their fellow Muslims.  They are coastal and sea dwellers, living on stilt houses or on their boats, and make their meager livelihood from fishing.  Because of lack of potable water, they are often unwashed and have very poor sanitation.  Rhode Islanders Cecilia and Armando Heredia led the medical mission.  Andrew Wilner, a neurologist from Newport, Rhode Island joined the group for the third straight year. 

Volunteer Joe Nicolas of San Diego, who served in the US Navy as a hospital corpsman, enjoyed his experience in Zamboanga and is inclined to follow the Lingkod Timog model in the medical mission he is planning for other parts of the Philippines.  There were about 120 volunteers each day in Sangali and Taluksangay, and includes US and Philippine-based volunteers, nursing students, surgeons from local hospitals, Philippine military and police doctors, surgeons and dentists, and US military surgeons, dentists and nurses all working together.  The count excludes security and support personnel. 

The group president Cecilia Heredia, CIM describes the medical mission: “We took native outrigger fishing boats to reach the Daap Badjao resettlement area in Sangali, Zamboanga and took care of more than 1,000 patients.  Each of the many medical, surgical, or dental teams plus the pharmacy was assigned a Badjao one-room house on stilts for the day.  The houses were connected by rickety one-meter wide walkways which made for very gingerly foot traffic movement of care providers, security personnel, residents and patients.  Half of our group went back by boat and the other half walked back almost two miles through hills to reach the staging area for the ride back.  We then took in about 1,000 patients in Taluksangay, also in Zamboanga.  The treatment area was in a small school house next to a new and beautiful mosque.  It was very fulfilling.”  Cecilia is the music teacher of St Philomena School in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.  She raises funds for Faithful Companions of Jesus projects that help trash dump residents in Manila, Philippines through Broadway musicals with the help of many parents of the school.

Lingkod Timog spokesperson Armando Heredia, the former National Executive Director of NAFFAA, the Washington, DC-based national organization of Filipino Americans pointed out that this is a joint Lingkod Timog and Philippine Navy and Marines medical mission.  The group was formed when Philippine Marines Major General Juancho Sabban was studying in Newport’s US Naval War College and the Heredia’s were his local sponsor.  Cecilia Heredia, CIM formed the group and Executive Director Irene Covarrubias Sabban coordinates the activities from Zamboanga.  The mission involves the entire community – Zamboanga private and government agencies, Philippines and US military, Christian and Muslim doctors.  The Badjaos will see not just the US and Manila-based volunteers, but their own community leaders and neighbors helping them.  This model has been followed in the previous missions in Arena Blanco, Maasin, and Sangali, in Zamboanga, and in Lamitan, Basilan and Lugus, Sulu for the Badjaos, as well as in Lipay-Dingin, Iba, Zambales for the Aetas, and Buda, Marilog, Davao City for the Lumads.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2008 Medical Mission

A Rhode Island-based humanitarian group recently completed its 4^th annual medical mission in the Philippines.  Called “Lingkod Timog” that translates to “Serving the poor in the Southern Philipiines”, the group attended to more than 3,000 tribal patients in the Philippine island of Mindanao from February 18 to 29.

More than 400 tribal people, called “lumads” or people of the earth, many in their highly colorful highland costume, were treated In the eastern part of Mindanao,.  The group then moved to the southwestern tip of Mindanao to treat the Badjaos, seafaring tribal people who are even discriminated against by their fellow Muslims.  They are coastal and sea dwellers, living on stilt houses or on their boats, and make their meager livelihood from fishing.  Because of lack of potable water, they are often unwashed and have very poor sanitation. 

The group President Cecilia Heredia describes the medical mission: “We took care of about 800 patients in the Badjao Center in Maasin, Zamboanga.  The next day, we had to walk for about a mile, carrying our medicine and supplies, slipping and sliding up and down hills on muddy trails to reach the Daap Badjao resettlement area in Sangali, Zamboanga.  We looked after more than 500 patients in the pouring rain, in a cleared area with only one parachute sized tent.  Then we took the US civilian ship MVS C-Champion to the island of Basilan.  Philippines and US Navy speedcraft moved us from ship-to-shore and back.  Lamitan is the scene of many encounters with lawless groups so we treated about 1,300 Badjaos inside a Philippine Marines detachment.  It was very fulfilling.”  Cecilia is the music teacher of Portsmouth’s St Philomena School and she also stages Broadway musicals to raise funds for Faithful Companion of Jesus projects that help trash dump residents in Manila, Philippines.

Bob Ravenscroft of Massachusetts, who served in Vietnam as a hospital corpsman, estimated the medical, surgical, and dental volunteers to be more than 100 each day in Zamboanga and Basilan.  The count excludes security and support personnel.  He said: “We had US and Philippine-based volunteers, nursing students, surgeons from local hospitals, Philippine military and police doctors and dentists, and US military surgeons and nurses all working together.  It was magnificent how we all blended together.”

Retiree Amelita Flores of Montreal, Canada and Bob and businesswoman Linda Ravenscroft of Massachusetts joined Rhode Islanders Cecilia and Armando Heredia, accountant Minda Dizon, and Tony Cercena in the mission.  Andrew Wilner, a neurologist sees a wonderful fit between his medical reporting work and the medical mission.  He joined the group for the second straight year and will be back in Newport on time to receive the 2008 American Academy of Neurology Journalism Fellowship Award in Chicago next month. 

Lingkod Timog spokesperson Armando Heredia happens to be the National Executive Director of NAFFAA, the Washington, DC-based national organization of Filipino Americans.  According to him this is a joint Lingkod Timog and Philippine Navy and Marines medical mission.  “We agreed to do this when Philippine Marines Brig General Juancho Sabban was studying in Newport’s US Naval War College and I was his sponsor.  Our wives took charge.  As Executive Director, Irene Cobarrubias Sabban always does a great job of coordinating the missions in Mindanao.  We involve the entire community – local private and government agencies, Philippines and US military, Christian and Muslim doctors.  That way, the Badjaos will see not just the US-based volunteers, but their own community leaders and neighbors helping them.  We can then move later from corrective treatment to disease-prevention and we will be able to gradually disengage as the community takes over.”

Navy League National Director and retired USN senior chief Tony Cercena said all volunteers were enthusiastic.  “We expect US and Philippine military help to continue so security problems are lessened,” he said.  “We are glad to be home in Rhode Island but we all want to go back to Mindanao and even to include the remote islands of Jolo, Sulu and Tawi-tawi next year.”