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Did you know that July is National Blood Donors Month in the Philippines?

With the beginning of the month-long celebration in mind, the global religious community that is the Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch), or PMCC (4th Watch), held the latest iteration of their longstanding National Bloodletting Activity on July 8. 

PMCC (4th Watch) has long held blood donation drives to give back to the community, but this year’s serves as a special edition for their 50th anniversary and renewed partnership with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC). 

The blood drive was formally launched at the PRC main office in Mandaluyong, but PMCC (4th Watch) members from all over the country also held simultaneous bloodletting sites across 30 locations in the country, including Quezon, Cavite, Mindoro, Aklan, Bacolod. Davao, and Metro Manila. In addition, bloodletting outreach programs were also held in North America, the Middle East, Australia, and Europe. 

Apostle Arsenio T. Ferriol, the church’s chief executive minister, and Bishop Jonathan S. Ferriol, the newly appointed deputy executive minister, formally led the launch of the 2023 National Bloodletting Activity with the support of members of the Philippine Red Cross, local government units, and advocates.

In his opening statement, Bishop Jonathan likened bloodletting to showing love by taking on action, saying that “Love is a verb. It is an action word, it has to be given.”

Meanwhile, the “dynamic” collaboration between PMCC (4th Watch) and the Philippine Red Cross also comes at the right time to further strengthen their ties to health-related events and strengthen the church’s outreach efforts nationwide.

“We have to ensure that the blood [donated to us] is of good quality, we only get blood from healthy individuals and volunteers,” shared PRC secretary general Dr. Gwendolyn Pang. “So we believe that through this partnership with PMCC (4th Watch), we will be able to intensify the campaign to have adequate safe blood supply.”

True enough, PRC shared that 4,044 bags of blood were collected during the one-day, simultaneous event. The impact can’t be denied, as a single unit of donated blood can save up to three lives. Per the World Health Organization, there must be proper screenings in place before one can give blood, such as testing for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and syphilis. 

The PRC also recommends that the average person donate blood only once every three months. And yep, even people with piercings and tattoos can give blood at least a year after their procedure.

With PMCC (4th Watch)’s blood drive serving as a success, it is only one of their ongoing celebrations for their 50th anniversary, which will include more medical missions and healing crusades to impoverished communities in the country.  Regardless of religious affiliation, PMCC (4th Watch)’s outreach activities are open to the general public.

Their golden jubilee will culminate in a grand International Convention and Golden Anniversary Celebration to be held at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium on August 27. – Rappler.com