Bontoc – At least 28 handicapped clients received prosthetic and orthopedic devices from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) NCL – Mountain Province (MP) Branch on August 1, 2019.

The provision of assistive devices to persons with disabilities (PWDs) was realized through the partnership of the Provincial Local Government Unit of Mountain Province (PLGU-MP) with the PCSO NCL – MP Branch.

According to Gov. Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr., the provincial government has readily allotted funds to augment the PCSO assistance.

“Considering the plight of our PWDs, the Provincial Government readily released its counterpart for the provision of assistive devices to the beneficiaries.  The fund was meant to complement that which the PCSO has released,” Lacwasan said.

According to Evilio Andy S. Timario, administrative officer, PCSO NCL MP, their office released the amount of P 630, 600 through guarantee letters since April 2019 to the Maria Victoria Ramat Nazarita (MVRN) Prosthesis Center for the assistive devices.

Timario lauded the efforts of the Provincial Government in looking for other means to provide vital services to the PWDs in the province.

“This partnership that was formed between our office and the provincial government will at least ease the suffering of the handicapped indigents and their families,” Timario said.

Meanwhile, Ma. Victoria R. Nazarita, operations manager and owner of MVRN Prosthesis Center appealed to the governor to empower the PWDs provincial network to reach out to all indigents and bring them closer to PCSO for the provision of assistive devices.

“I thank the Governor and his administration for helping channel to recipients this kind of services. I hope that the people will see him as the ‘governor who truly has a heart’ na tumutulong sa mga may kapansanan,” Nazarita said.

The assistive devices that were distributed to the beneficiaries included wheelchairs, prosthetic devices, orthopedic devices, body braces and ortho shoes. 

The beneficiaries were all one in expressing their gratefulness to the PCSO and to the provincial government as the devices will help them live a normal life.

Among the beneficiaries was Peter Bugatan, 56 and a resident of Tapapan, Bauko who lost his left leg in an accident in 2016.

“Salamat iti tulong ti PCSO ken dakkel met ti yaman ko iti Provincial Government nga idadauluwan ni Governor Lacwasan. Gapu iti tulung yu ket mas makatrabaho ak tattan, [I want to thank the PCSO and I am also very grateful to the Provincial Government headed by Governor Lacwasan. This assistance will enable me to work more],” Bugatan said.

Earlier, the Governor directed the Provincial Disability Affairs Office to help fast-track  the completion of documents and the submission of said requirements of the beneficiaries  to the PCSO as the provision of assistive devices depended on the correctness and completeness of the documents submitted.

“We are now trying to address the concerns of our PWDs in the province; thus, we have designated one to help the Provincial Government determine their pressing needs. Much as we would like to provide for all of those in need, we have limited resources so we are continuously forging partnerships with other funding institutions,” Lacwasan said.

It can be recalled that Gov. Lacwasan has designated Maria Codeo as the person-in-charge to the PDAO which is a sub-unit of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO).  As such, Codeo also acts as liaison officer for the PDAO but in coordination with the PSWDO and the Provincial Governor’s Office. Also, the chief executive has caused the allocation of funds for said office’s operations.

As part of the services of the NVRM Prosthesis Center, its technical staff conducted proper gait training for those who were given prosthetics. Also, they did assessment casting and measurement for the new referrals for some future provision of assistive devices.

“We are calling out to all MSWDOs and PWDs to coordinate with our PDAO for needs’ assessment. As was communicated by the PCSO, they are willing to help us address needs pending the submission of requisites to their office.  Let us all do our parts,” Lacwasan said.