CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Governor Lilia Nanay Pineda acknowledged the efforts and support of Operation Smile International and Kapampangan Development Foundation (KDF), their volunteers and donors for the free surgical operation of children with facial malformations due to cleft lip and cleft palate.
The governor also recognized Dr. Antonio Jay Rivera, senior consultant of the Ricardo P. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital Extension in Bacolor for his unrelenting cooperation to the provincial government and its programs, doing surgical operation for patients for free.
In her statement, the governor salute the KDF and Operation Smile, Dr. Jay Rivera “for all the help that they have extended to our kababayans especially the indigent ones. They willingly share themself to the needy, performing operations for free. Thank you very much”, the governor said.
The “Operation Smile” however, is being planned to become a regular program under the name “Nanay Smile Program” urged by the governor and Vice Governor Dennis Pineda to facilitate and achieve a holistic treatment offered by the program with the help of the KDF and UP College of Speech and Pathology.
Less than a thousand Kapampangans have already benefitted from the free operations offered by the program.
With the said mission more and more children with deformities can now rekindle their smile and undergo operation for free.
Moreover, the KDF was founded in 1987 by 35 Kapampangans living outside the region that were inspired by the late President Corazon Aquino which has provided social and health services to poor residents of Pampanga through its HELP (Health, Education and Livelihood for Pampanga) program.
The chair of the board of directors is Manuel V. Pangilinan and Benigno N. Ricafort as president.
Other programs of KDF include “Seeing Clearly” which helps restore sights affected by cataracts, pterygium and other treatable eye conditions; Disability programs that aim to supply free prosthetic legs to all needy Kapampangans and Maternal and Child Care Programs.
Meanwhile, recent study shows that malnutrition and lack of Vitamin B6 and folic acid during pregnancy might be one of the causes of harelip, cleft palate and other facial malformations.
BY MARIBEL U. SINGCA
