ILOILO CITY - Persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the province of Iloilo will again donate blood to boost the supply as dengue cases in the province are on the rise.

Rara Ganzon, focal person for PWD and spokesperson for the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), said they will be holding a quarterly blood donation in each of the five districts of Iloilo following their first successful event on Feb. 12, 2022.

"Forty-four successful PWD blood donors donated last Feb. 12 and that's equivalent to 132 people who benefited from the said activity," she said in an interview on Tuesday, adding that it was the first-ever PWD-initiated blood donation campaign in Western Visayas.

As of 2021, Iloilo province has 10,300 registered PWDs.

The next edition on June 16 will be held in the town of Guimbal for the first district-wide activity where around 80 PWDs are expected to join from 7:30 a.m. up to noon at the municipal gymnasium.

"Of course, they have to go through the screening process. What is important is that we can help augment stocks in our blood bank amid the increasing cases of dengue," Ganzon said.

She said every unit of 500cc of blood can help three persons in transfusion.

Aside from blood donation, the province's 43 female and 39 PWD scholars are also joining this month's Limpyo (clean) Iloilo, a cleanup drive to address dengue and flooding in the province.

"I think this is a good start that in our own little way we are introducing as many activities for them to become inclusive and make sure that they are not left behind," Ganzon said.

Executive Order No. 271 signed by Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. on May 24, 2022 mandates the holding of "Limpyo sa Hunyo 2022: Panglimpyo para sa Dengue kag Baha", a provincewide cleanup and clearing operations this month.

It involves the intensified 5S strategy against dengue - search and destroy mosquito-breeding places, self-protection, seek early consultation, support fogging in hotspot areas, and observe safety and health protocols.

It also mandates the practice of the daily "4 o'clock habit" in the search and destruction of mosquito-breeding places.

Department of Health data on June 3, 2022 showed the province has 330 dengue cases with six deaths from January to May 28 this year or a 116 percent increase compared to the same period in 2021. (PNA)