RC Pasig North Powers Holiday Giving with ₱5.4M Lifesaving Equipment for Red Cross Rizal Chapter

Advanced centrifuges expand blood services capacity across Rizal and Metro Manila, saving more lives.

In the genuine spirit of holiday giving, the Rotary Club of Pasig North — together with R.I. District 3800, Philippines and the Rotary Club of Jeongju-Poongnam, District 3670, Korea — ceremonially handed over a ₱5.4-million donation of advanced refrigerated centrifuge equipment to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Rizal Chapter at the latter's main office in Kapitolyo, Pasig City, which is expected to process thousands of blood units annually. The donation culminated an extensive Rotary Foundation Global Grant initiative and united leaders, staff, and volunteers in a shared commitment to life-saving impact.

Attendees at the turnover included PRC Secretary General Dr. Gwendolyn T. Pang, PRC Rizal Chapter Treasurer Dir. Pilar Lee, and PRC Rizal Chapter Administrator Dr. Roberto R. Dacles, together with DG Gina Sanchez, RC Pasig North President Allan Rivera, PDG Fabie Enriquez, and PP Jake Ang.

Equipping the Frontlines of Blood Services

The donation consists of two German-engineered refrigerated centrifuges — the Hettich Rotofix 32A floor model and the Roto Silenta 630RS benchtop unit. These specialized refrigerated centrifuges are critical to modern blood services: once whole blood is collected, the centrifuges spin the units at calibrated speeds and temperatures to separate whole blood into components — red blood cells, plasma, and platelets — each addressing unique clinical needs, such as trauma, surgery, anemia, and cancer care. This process not only increases the utility of each donated unit but enhances safety, quality, and availability of specific blood products required by patients.

According to PRC blood services, component processing ensures that one unit of donated blood can save up to three lives, underlining the amplified impact of every donation when processed with cutting-edge equipment. For mothers experiencing childbirth complications or dengue patients in Metro Manila hospitals, timely access to blood components can mean the difference between life and death.

PRC Rizal Chapter is one of the largest blood component manufacturers within the national network — a crucial role given that the PRC contributes nearly half of all blood supplied to hospitals nationwide each year.

Extending Care Across Cities and Communities

The PRC Rizal Chapter operates through eight branches. Five of these maintain blood service facilities:

• Makati City 309,770 residents

• Muntinlupa City 552,225 residents

• Parañaque City 703,245 residents

• Pasig City 853,050 residents

• San Juan City 134,312 residents

• Taguig City 1,308,085 residents

• Municipality of Pateros 67,319 residents

• Rizal Province 3,416,541 residents

These are complemented by the PRC Rizal Chapter Blood Center in Pasig City serving these units and the broader Rizal-Metro Manila corridor, including patients in urgent need of transfusions. In densely populated cities such as these — with combined resident totals exceeding 7.3 million people — steady blood availability is a matter of daily public health. Population-scaled blood needs remain high: for example, WHO benchmarks suggest that at least 1 percent of the population donate blood annually to sustain safe supplies, a target that the Philippines continues to work toward.

Holiday Giving That Saves Lives

PRC Chairman & CEO Richard J. Gordon noted that these centrifuges are more than equipment; they are “lifelines” that expand the PRC’s ability to supply the right blood components for patients in medical emergencies and ongoing care. PRC Secretary General Dr. Gwen Pang emphasized that with these new units, the chapter’s processing capacity and turnaround times improve, enabling faster separation, testing, and delivery of blood components critical in surgeries, trauma care, hematologic conditions, and more. For her part, DG Gina Sanchez affirmed the donation as a symbol of Rotary’s enduring partnership with the PRC and its commitment to high-impact humanitarian service — a meaningful early gift that extends well beyond the holiday season.

A Shared Mission: Service Above Self

Rotary’s collaboration with the Philippine Red Cross is long established, with past contributions including blood refrigerators, automated external defibrillators (AEDs), ambulances, first aid training equipment, and a dedicated blood mobile bus — all reinforcing community health infrastructure. This latest equipment donation exemplifies Rotary’s motto of Service Above Self and the PRC’s vow to be Always First, Always Ready, Always There for those in need.

As demand for blood remains a consistent reality — whether for childbirth, trauma, dengue cases, or chronic conditions — strengthened capacity at blood centers ensures that communities in Rizal and Metro Manila can rely on dependable, high-quality blood services throughout the year.

The PRC Rizal Chapter and the Rotary Clubs encourage residents to continue donating blood, ensuring that these new centrifuges can reach their full life saving potential.