PH, US troops in 'Salaknib' drills donate 435 bags of blood

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 27, 2023): PH, US troops in 'Salaknib' drills donate 435 bags of blood (By Priam Nepomuceno)

(Photo courtesy of Philippine Army)

MANILA – Filipino and American troops participating in this year's "Salaknib" military exercises took a break from their war training and donated some 435 bags of blood on March 25.

"The bloodletting drive, spearheaded by the Philippine Army in partnership with the GMA Kapuso Foundation, yielded a total of 435 blood bags from 687 registered donors. Philippine Army and US Army soldiers, who took time off from their training exercises, as well as civilian donors and aspiring soldiers participated in 'Dugong Alay Ko, Dugtong Sa Buhay Mo, Sagip Dugtong Buhay'," PA spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad said in a statement late Sunday.

The bloodletting drive was held at the Army Artillery Regiment’s (AAR) headquarters in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.

"The collected life-saving fluid will be turned over to the Philippine Red Cross and will be used to help patients who might need immediate blood transfusion due to illness, medical emergencies or even accidents," Trinidad said.

"Salaknib,” is an Army-to-Army bilateral training exercise aimed at enhancing the interoperability of Filipino and American soldiers in a spectrum of military operations.

"Salaknib" means shield in Ilocano.

Around 3,000 Filipino and American troops are participating in these exercises which started on March 13 and will end on April 4.

In a related development, the Tanay-based 2nd Infantry Division also teamed up with the GMA Kapuso Foundation and Philippine Red Cross for a bloodletting drive at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal on March 25 for another bloodletting drive.

The "Sagip Dugtong Buhay" bloodletting drive yielded 100 blood bags from 100 donors, including soldiers and Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) cadets from the University of Rizal System-Morong campus.

The activity is part of the series of activities lined up for the PA's 126th founding anniversary, Trinidad said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1198248