Operation Smile International 2016 Bacolod, Philippines: 56 doctors, nurses, staff; 149 surgeries to repair cleft lip/ cleft palate: 149 Filipino children smiling, post-op Myra was in the Philippines for a week to assist in surgeries of the Operation Smile International foundation, with 56 doctors, nurses, and other volunteers from the USA, Philippines , Russia, UAE , Japan and Canada assigned to Bacolod, Philippines. Operation Smile is “an international children’s medical charity that provides free life-changing surgeries for children with cleft lip, cleft palate” and other facial appearances that need to be repaired. Last week, a total 149 cases of cleft lip and cleft palate of children were surgically repaired, from June 24 to July 1, 2016 in Bacolod, Philipines alone under the auspices of Operation Smile International. (photo from Myra Lambino’s mobile)
Cleft palate surgery (which is more complicated than cleft lip surgery) is a delicate operation that requires “rebuilding the roof of the mouth” by making an incision on either cleft to create a “specialized flap” of a muscle to “reposition the hard and soft components of the palate ” , or to join the open palate. According to Myra, when the anaesthesia wears off, it can be painful, post-op, but with the loving, caring hands of family members, the patient recovery time is one week to two weeks. Their work was a success in all the cases. Members of Operation Smile International 2016 thank the people of Bacolod for their warmth and hospitality.
(video of Operation Smile 2016 in Bacolod, below)
Video by Aeson Baldevia, Music: “Hold on Tight” by Greg Holden, and a cover of Basil Valdez’s “You”, both used here non-commercially for charitable purposes.
There’s a news report that: On his last night out, before the oath, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte stepped out at about midnight and went to his favorite hangout, the After Dark Piano Bar, and sang this song…and so I embedded a version of this because it’s not in the Malacañang inaugural playlist…
“DAVAO CITY – Before the burden of an entire nation fell on his shoulders, Rodrigo Duterte enjoyed a final night out yesterday, the eve of his inaugural as the 16th president of the Philippines.
“At about 3 a.m. yesterday, Duterte took the mini stage of the After Dark Piano Bar, his favorite hangout in this city, and sang George Canseco’s “Ikaw.”
“Duterte’s favorite pianist Ponching Fernandez told The STAR that the incoming president even changed the lyrics of “Ikaw” to “kayo” at the start of the song.
“ “He only chose to sing ‘Ikaw’ and after that he left in a little while,” Fernandez added.
“Duterte reportedly arrived at the bar around midnight and stayed until 3:30 a.m. He spent his time with his former dorm-mates at the YMCA Dormitory in Manila.
“He ate his favorite comfort food – fried banana, fried chicken and some pica-pica (bar chow), washed down with a can of Coke Zero.
“Before going to the bar, Duterte spent the whole afternoon of Tuesday rehearsing his inaugural speech.
“Duterte, who is used to giving extemporaneous speeches, practiced delivering his inaugural speech at the Malacañang of the South in Barangay Panacan.” (from the Philippine Star)
Ikaw (You), music by Louie Ocampo, lyrics by George Canseco, performed originally by Sharon Cuneta; here is a cover by Martin Nievera and Sarah Geronimo:
