Philippine Red Cross To Hold Biennial National Convention

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will be holding its 31st Biennial National Convention (BNC) on April 14 to 15, 2016 at the PRC Logistics and Multipurpose Hall in Mandaluyong City.

This year, 94 out of the 102 chapters and sub-chapters of the PRC, represented by nearly 600 delegates composed of chapter administrators, members of the Board of Directors of each PRC chapter, Red Cross Youth representatives, staff and volunteers will gather for the BNC.

During the BNC, members of the Board of Directors from the PRC chapters will elect new members to the PRC’s Board of Governors (BOG).

This year’s candidates for the BOG are: Jose Ramon P. Aliling, Carlito V. Arenas, Edward Y. Chua, Ma. Carissa O. Coscolluela, Dakila Carlo E. Cua, Gerardo B. De Villa, James G. Dy, Sherwin T. Gatchalian, Teodoro J. Herbosa, Dario A. Lapada, George G. Lim, Celso O. Lobregat, Enrique T. Ona, Leonida B. Ortiz, Mabini F. Pablo, Ramon Marcos R. Pernia, Monica Siguion Reyna Villonco, and Rosalind L. Wee.

Nine of the candidates will be elected to the PRC’s Board of Governors, composed of 18 elected governors (two sets of nine elected every two years), six who are selected by the 18 elected members, and six appointed by the President of the Philippines. Members of the BOG serve the organization for a term of four years, and can be re-elected or re-appointed to office.

“Aside from electing new members to the Board of Governors, the Biennial Convention is also a chance for the national headquarters of the PRC to report on the accomplishments of the Philippine Red Cross for the past two years. It is also during the Biennial Convention that we set the strategic direction that the organization will follow in the next two years,” said Richard Gordon, chairman of the PRC.

Held every two years, this year’s BNC will have the theme, “PRC: Preferred Partner of Choice.”

According to Gordon, the theme for this year’s Biennial Convention reflects the direction that the PRC has been taking the past few years and in the years to come.

“We want the PRC to be the preferred partner of choice of the government and its agencies, as well as other agencies and organizations, academic and medical institutions, private partners, partner national societies in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and other groups to further strengthen PRC’s disaster management capability and our capacity to deliver humanitarian services to the most vulnerable,” Gordon said.

The PRC prides itself in being the only humanitarian organization that has partnership agreements with other agencies, organizations and institutions like the Makati Medical Center, Philippine Medical Association, Philippine College of Surgeons, Philippine Nurses Association, among others.

These partnerships aim to train volunteers of the Red Cross on disaster and emergency response so that the PRC can tap them to provide humanitarian assistance, especially during disasters and emergencies. (PNA) SCS/PR/PJN