Give Blood Give Life

Blood donation helps save lives. Find out if you're eligible to donate blood and what to expect if you decide to donate.

The need for blood is great. On any given day, more than two thousand of blood units are transfused to patients in our country. Some may need blood during surgery; while others depend on it after an accident or because they have a disease that requires blood components. The Philippine Red Cross approximately supplies one-fourth of the country's national blood requirements.
If you're in good health, you can probably donate. Find out about blood donation and what to expect if you decide to give.


Preparation before donating blood
1. Have enough rest and sleep.
2. No alcohol intake 24 hours prior to blood donation.
3. No medications for at least 24 hours prior to blood donation.
4. Have something to eat prior to blood donation, avoid fatty food.
5. Drink plenty of fluid, like water or juice.

Steps in donating blood
1. Have your weight taken.
2. Register and honestly and complete the donor registration form.
3. Have your blood type and hemoglobin checked.
4. A physician will conduct a blood donor examination.
5. Actual donation--the amount of blood to be donated (either 350cc or 450cc) will depend on the donor's weight and blood pressure. It usually takes 10 minutes or less.
6. A 5 to 10 minute rest and plenty of fluid-intake are necessary after donation.

What to do after blood donation?
1. Drink plenty of fluid, like water or juice.
2. Refrain from stooping down after blood donation.
3. Refrain from strenuous activities like:
     a. Lifting heavy objects;
     b. Driving big vehicles such as bus, trucks, etc.; or
     c. Operating big machines.
4. Avoid using the punctured arm in lifting heavy objects.
5. Apply pressure on the punctured site and lift the arm in case the site is still bleeding.
6. If there is discoloration and swelling on the punctured site, you may apply cold compress for 24 hours.
7. If there is dizziness, just lie down with your feet elevated. Drink plenty of juice; and in just a few minutes or so, it will pass.

Blood Donation: Basic Requirements

---

Blood donation helps save lives. Find out if you're eligible to donate blood and what to expect if you decide to donate.

The need for blood is great. On any given day, more than two thousand of blood units are transfused to patients in our country. Some may need blood during surgery; while others depend on it after an accident or because they have a disease that requires blood components. The Philippine Red Cross approximately supplies one-fourth of the country's national blood requirements.
If you're in good health, you can probably donate. Find out about blood donation and what to expect if you decide to give.

Who can donate blood?

---

You can donate blood if you…
- Are in good health
- Are between 16 to 65 years old (16 and 17 years old need parents consent);
- Weigh at least 110 pounds;
- Have a blood pressure between: Systolic: 90-160 mmHg, Diastolic: 60-100 mmHg; and
- Pass the physical and health history assessments.

PRC Blood Services Facilities carefully screen potential donors. The screening guidelines are necessary to ensure that blood donation is safe for you and that it is safe for the person who will be receiving your blood.

In the screening process, you have to fill out a blood donation questionnaire form that includes direct questions about behaviors known to carry a higher risk of blood-borne infections—infections that are transmitted through the blood. These behaviors include prostitution, intravenous drug use and others. A trained physician will be asking you about your medical/ health history, and a physical examination will be conducted—which includes checking your blood pressure, pulse and temperature. All of the information from this evaluation is kept strictly confidential.

During your blood donation screening procedure, a small sample of blood taken from a finger prick is used to check your hemoglobin level, the oxygen-carrying component of your blood. If your hemoglobin concentration is normal, and you've met all the other screening requirements, you can donate blood.

Where can I donate blood?

---

Use the PRC Blood Services Facility Directory to find the blood donation center nearest you, and then contact the blood center to find out more about the requirements.

BPA Facts!!!

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an important chemical building block that is used primarily to
make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. The safety of bisphenol A has been
extensively studied by regulatory agencies, academic and scientific institutions, and
industry scientists for more than four decades. The potential human exposure to
bisphenol A from polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin products is extremely small and
poses no known risk to human health. This conclusion is based on these key points:

• Bisphenol A is Efficiently Metabolized and Rapidly Excreted
Studies on human volunteers have confirmed that bisphenol A is efficiently converted to
a metabolite after oral exposure. The metabolite is then rapidly excreted from the body
with a half-life of approximately 4 hours, which means that bisphenol A is essentially all
eliminated from the body within the day of exposure and does not accumulate in the
body. While in the body, bisphenol A is in the form of a metabolite that has no known
biological activity and, in particular, has been shown to be non-estrogenic. These
properties indicate that bisphenol A is likely to have low toxicity.

• Bisphenol A is Not Carcinogenic or Mutagenic
Numerous studies indicate that bisphenol A is neither carcinogenic nor mutagenic. Most
notably, these include lifetime animal studies conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology
Program, which concluded that “there was no convincing evidence that bisphenol A was
carcinogenic.” Government and scientific bodies worldwide have affirmed this
conclusion in their comprehensive assessments of bisphenol A.

• Bisphenol A Does Not Affect Reproduction or Development
In their comprehensive risk assessment on bisphenol A, the European Union concluded
that bisphenol A does not affect reproduction or development at any realistic dose. This
conclusion is based on comprehensive studies that examine laboratory animals across
multiple generations, including studies conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology
Program, and several studies that specifically examined low doses.
• Bisphenol A Does Not Cause Low-Dose Endocrine Effects
In recent years, a hypothesis has been advanced claiming that exposure to extremely low
doses of bisphenol A could cause health effects by disrupting endocrine functions.
Reported low-dose effects have not been replicated or corroborated in independent
laboratories and are not consistent from study to study. Large-scale experiments
following internationally accepted guidelines have found no evidence for endocrinerelated
reproductive or developmental effects from low doses of bisphenol A. The
validity of low-dose effects is not supported by the weight of scientific evidence, as
reviewed by scientific and government bodies worldwide.

• Human Exposure Poses No Significant Risk
Consumers would have to eat more than 500 pounds of food and beverages in contact
with polycarbonate plastic or epoxy resins every day of their lives to exceed exposure
levels determined to be safe by the European Food Safety Authority and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. The safe exposure levels are defined as a daily oral
exposure that is likely to be without an appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a
lifetime. Numerous biomonitoring studies that measure actual exposure levels have
confirmed that typical human exposure to bisphenol A is approximately 1000 times
below the safe exposure levels.

Polycarbonate food and beverage containers and epoxy can coatings continue to be
recognized as safe for use by government bodies, including the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, the U.K. Food Standards Agency, the European Food Safety Authority,
the Japanese Ministry for Health, Labor and Welfare and other regulatory agencies
worldwide.

For more information on bisphenol A, please visit http://www.bisphenol-a.org.

Binagol of Tacloban

A sweet delicacy that is distinctively Leyte. It is standard fare in town fiestas, notably in Dagami, Leyte. Binagol may be bought from sidewalk vendors in downtown Tacloban City. Binagol is markedly different from "matamis na bao" that is popular in the Tagalog region.

Ingredients:

• 2 pcs. talyan (1 1/2 foot each)
• 6 kgs. sugar
• 3 cans (300 ml.) condensed milk
• 4 plastic cans margarine (250 gms. each)
• 1 can (455 gms.) peanuts, pounded
• 1 1/2 cups pork lard
• 30 pcs. coconut, grated
• 30 pcs. eggs. beaten
• 1 tbsp. vanilla

Container and wrapper:

coconut shells, cleaned

banana leaves

string

      Procedure:

     1. Peel and dry the talyan.

     2. Grate, then set aside.

     3. Extract coconut milk from the grated coconut twice. Use 12 cups of water for each
         extract.

     4. Place the coconut milk in a pan. Boil for an hour.

     5. When it thickens, add milk. Boil again for 30 minutes.

     6. Add margarine and vanilla. Boil again for another 10 minutes. This is the arnibal.

     7. Remove from the stove and transfer to a container. Divide this arnibal into two portions.

     8. Let cool.

     9. Mix one portion of the arnibal with the grated talyan.

    10. Mix the eggs and peanuts to the other portion of the arnibal.

    11. Wipe coconut shell with arnibal that has eggs and peanuts.

    12. Line the coconut shell with banana leaf and wipe it too with arnibal.

    13. Put 3 tbsps. of the talyan mixture in the banana-leaf lined coconut shell. Fill with 1/2
         cup of the arnibal. Top with the talyan mixture.

    14. Wrap the filled coconut shell with banana leaf and tie with a string. This is the binagol.

    15. Arrange binagol in a pot lined with banana stalks. The coconut shell should face
         downward.

    16. Add water up to half the level of binagol in the container.

    17. Cook for 2 to 3 hours.

http://www.leyte.org.ph/leyte_recipes1.htm 

Bukas Palad Music Ministry

BUKAS PALAD is a community of young people who compose, record, and perform original Filipino religious music. Since 1986, Bukas Palad has recorded 15 albums under the Jesuit Music Ministry of the Ateneo de Manila University and has performed in over a hundred solo concerts across the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong, and the United States.
Very few of Bukas Palad's members received formal musical training, but in its 24 years, Bukas Palad has grown to become an important force in Filipino music. Many of the most popular and well-loved praise songs in the Philippines were first sung and recorded by Bukas Palad. "Hindi Kita Malilimutan", "Tanging Yaman", "Sa 'Yo Lamang", "Anima Christi", and "I Will Sing Forever" are but a few of the songs Bukas Palad has sung and spread over its 24 years.

Bukas Palad Music Ministry

Bukas Palad has produced well over a hundred original liturgical and inspirational songs composed by Fr. Manoling Francisco, S.J., Norman A. Agatep, Jandi I. Arboleda, and other Bukas Palad members. Bukas Palad continues to create new religious songs because the heart of Bukas Palad's ministry is to give a voice to people's most fervent prayers. Bukas Palad hopes to put music to the desires and hopes that dwell in human hearts.
Bukas Palad ministers with music by singing in liturgy. Bukas Palad believes that voices raised in prayerful song add grace and fervor to life's pivotal moments. Masses, christenings, weddings, ordinations, and funerals are some occasions where Bukas Palad may be heard. Bukas Palad's ministry is a popular ministry as well. Bukas Palad is a highly acclaimed performing group in the Philippines. Bukas Palad and Bukas Palad's songs have been featured on countless occasions in concerts, on the radio, and on television. Bukas Palad has performed live in theaters, concert halls, convention centers, churches, and even shopping malls.
Popular Filipino artists like Lea Salonga, Regine Velasquez, Gary V, Basil Valdez, Jamie Rivera, Joey Albert, Cooky Chua, and Noel Cabangon have recorded and popularized Bukas Palad songs. "Tanging Yaman", "Hindi Kita Malilimutan", "Sa 'Yo Lamang", and other Bukas Palad songs have even become theme songs and titles of movies and television shows. Finally, Bukas Palad hopes that other people begin to write and sing their own songs of praise and prayer and find their own voices. To this end, Bukas Palad conducts liturgical music workshops for parish communities and choral groups. Bukas Palad also conducts outreach activities for the marginalized, the elderly, the orphaned, the sick, and the imprisoned.

www.bukaspalad.com