By R. G. Antonet Go/PNA
ZAMBOANGA CITY — The local chapter of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has assured sufficient blood supply for the victims of Sunday’s twin blasts in a church in Jolo, Sulu.
Joseline Fernandez, OIC-PRC Zamboanga administrator, said on Monday the other PRC chapters have augmented the blood supply for this city for use by blast victims.
Fernandez said the PRC national office has sent 70 bags of blood, while the Pagadian and Zamboanga Sibugay chapters sent 25 and 15 bags, respectively.
“We have sufficient supply and we can still cater to the needs of our regular patients who need blood,” Fernandez said.
She said the blood group available at their blood bank are types O, A, B, and AB. Each bag contains 450 cubic centiliters of blood. She added that they have already released 12 units of blood to four victims of the explosion in Jolo, who were airlifted to this city.
Still, Fernandez has appealed to prospective donors to donate blood despite the availability of sufficient supply.
Twenty-seven people, including seven soldiers, were killed while 77 others wounded in a twin explosion of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Barangay Walled City, Jolo, Sulu.
Of the 77 wounded, 14 are soldiers, two Coast Guard personnel and 60 churchgoers. One of the 27 dead was also a member of the Coast Guard.
The first IED exploded around 8:15 a.m. Sunday inside the church while the second went off less than a minute later at the parking area of the cathedral’s compound.
