A total of 110 teachers assigned at the Negros Occidental Fifth District and the highly-urbanized Bacolod City are expected to benefit from a dental makeover soon.
On Wednesday, Sept. 4, the Rotary Club of Bacolod Central led by its president Rolem Basiya, the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) Negros Occidental headed by president Dr. Analie Gonzaga, and Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo III signed a tripartite memorandum of agreement (MOA) to formalize their partnership on a project dubbed “Project Smile: Yuhom ni Titser.”
Ma. Ester Espina, the Rotary Club immediate past district governor, said that the new edition of the project will identify 100 teachers from schools in the Fifth District and 10 from Barangay Granada in Bacolod City, who will undergo teeth restoration procedures, which involve extraction, filling and dentures.
As stipulated in the agreement, the Rotary Club of Bacolod Central will provide administrative support in the implementation of the project.
The PDA Negros Occidental will perform all necessary and appropriate dental treatment and procedures to achieve the objective of Project Smile, from assessment to post- treatment activities.
In a statement, Rotary Club of Bacolod Central said that Granada barangay chairman Armando Vito has committed to assist them in the selection process as well as take charge of other dental services such as extraction and filling while the club will shoulder the cost of dentures.
Yulo said that his representatives will select the 100 teacher-beneficiaries, and will provide both financial and logistical support to the recipients.
The MOA also stipulates that the project must be completed by the end of the current year.
Project Smile was first launched in 2017, with 20 teacher-beneficiaries from Handumanan National High School and Elementary School in Bacolod City.
The relaunch of the project coincides with the Rotary International’s Basic Education and Literacy theme for the month of September. ||
