Three children came here all the way from the municipality of Catigbian, Bohol, awaiting their schedule for major surgeries at the Ospital ng Maynila.
The children- -Gerald Libot, Lester Solaritos, and Marjun Bidan- -came from poor families in Catigbian and were discovered by the California-based Flora Apalisok Free Children's Clinic (FAFCC), a mobile clinic founded by Boholana Celina Crisologo.
The children's transportation, accommodation, food, and the cost of the surgeries are entirely funded by donations that the mobile clinic obtained from donors in the United States and countries as far as Iceland.
The clinic and other Tagbilaranons overseas organized a concert in San Francisco, California in the early part of August to raise funds for the three surgeries.
The surgeries are scheduled to be finished by October.
Both Lester and Marjun came to the clinic in need of closures done to life-saving colostomies that were performed on them soon after their births. Gerald's surgery involves the closure of a facial deformity in his right cheek.
Since its organization in March 2000, the clinic has operated entirely on private donations. The clinic was named after the founder's mother Flora Apalisok, who was born and raised in Bohol .
For more information about the clinic, interested individuals can check out www.floraskids.org or contact Celina Crisologo at celine@floraskids.org or Aljay Balbutin at albutin@yahoo.com. Balbutin, who will be in Bohol until October 1, can also be reached through cellphone number 09086848238.