Amputees Walk Free in Naga City

In the run-off to the 31st National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPAR) Month in July Dr. Josephine Robredo-Bundoc and company from the Walk Free Project and Physicians for Peace distributed and attached pre-fitted limb prostheses to amputees in Naga City.

The half-day event took place at the Naga City Civic Center last weekend.

Prior to actual attachment of the prosthetic devices to the beneficiaries, lectures were held, aimed at people giving care and assistance to the disabled. The audience consisted mostly of Barangay Health Workers (now called Health Educators) from various Barangays of Naga and companions of the recipients. The amputees received personalized instructions on how to live with their artificial limbs and gadgets.

With artificial limbs in place, the amputees later took time to show off what they can do when they are able to walk again. Initially learning to walk around in flat surface, they later walked unassisted up and down the stairs. Surprsingly, some recipients could instantly twist and turn to the tune of the Cha-cha-cha.

One amputee who used to earn a living driving a tricycle before he lost his right leg was a happy man as he pedalled his vehicle around the compound with lone unforgettable passenger, a lady anchorwoman from a local TV network who gave him the feature interview of his life. This activity was a follow through of the free wheel chair distribution project of the Physicians for Peace early in February this year. In the said event, Filipino-American Dr. Juan Montero, head of the international charity foundation, was the guest of honor and speaker. As a side activity, the prospective amputee recipients had been evaluated, examined and measured. Eight million Filipinos are disabled, 2 million Filipinos cannot walk and 1 million are amputees. The Walk Free Project, whose vision is "functional return to all walks of life," aims to do something about the grim statistics.

In Naga City the Project's partners include UP Ibalon Bicol, Kapisanan ng Sangguniang Barangay Kagawad (KSBK) Naga City chapter, and the City Government of Naga.