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MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has designated July 17 of each year as “National Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Day,” aiming to ignite a nationwide health awareness campaign within every Filipino household.
This initiative was formalized through Proclamation No. 511, a two-page document signed by the president last March 27.
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In a news release from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) dated March 29 and publicized on Black Saturday, Marcos underscored the critical need to foster and sustain health consciousness among the public.
“There is a need to instill and continuously promote health consciousness among Filipinos by equipping them with the necessary information, knowledge, behavior, and skills to respond to health emergencies, including bringing CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] in every home as an emergency procedure,” President Marcos said.
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The proclamation also emphasized that CPR “is a lifesaving technique useful in many emergencies, including heart attack or near drowning.”
According to the PCO, Marcos and the Department of Health will spearhead the “planning, preparation, coordination, organization, implementation, monitoring and evaluation” of the programs of the annual observance.
The proclamation also directs all government agencies and other instrumentalities, as well as non-government organizations and the private sector, to actively participate in the observance of National Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Day.