Isko Moreno turns eye donor as he pledges Manila’s support for Eye Bank

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno signs an agreement with the Santa Lucia International Eye Bank of Manila on Monday, May 17, 2021. With him are (from left) Dr. Marie Antonette Pascual, EBFP corporate secretary; Dr. Karl Oliver Laqui, OIC hospital director of the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center; and Dr. Ma. Dominga Padilla, EBFP president and CEO. (Photo from the Manila PIO)

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso pledged on Monday the support of his city to the Santa Lucia International Eye Bank of Manila, popularly known as Eye Bank, and at the same signed a donor card that authorizes the Eye Bank to harvest his eyes in the event of his death to be donated to those in need.

According to a statement issued by the Manila Public Information Office, Moreno signed a memorandum of agreement with Eye Bank that signifies Manila’s support for its efforts to promote and institutionalize cornea and eye donation in the Philippines.

In a speech at the signing, the mayor encouraged the public to do the same.

“You lose nothing if you become an eye donor,” he said in Filipino. “It only means that, when you die, someone else will benefit from the use of your eyes.”

The Eye Bank is owned and operated by the Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines (EBFP) — which is a non-stock, nonprofit, nongovernment humanitarian organization launched in 1995.

According to the statement, it’s the only state-of-the-art eye banking facility in the Philippines that evaluates and distributes donated eye tissue or corneas for use in transplantation, research, and education.

Dr. Ma. Dominga “Minguita” Padilla, EBFP president and CEO,  thanked Domagoso for supporting Eye Bank and lauded him for signing up as an eye donor.

“It’s very important to be a cornea donor because so many people in the Philippines and the entire world who will not be able to see without a transplant,” she said in Filipino. “Don’t be afraid to become an eye donor.”

She explained that the eyes and corneas of the donors would only be harvested after their death.

“Many people consider it a miracle to be able to see again. Mayor Isko signed as an eye donor. I hope many others will follow his example,” Padilla said.

For his part, Moreno assured Padilla of the support of  Manila’s district hospitals — the Gat Andres Bonifacio Medical Center, Justice Jose Abad Santos Memorial Medical Hospital, Ospital ng Maynila, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Tondo, and Sta. Ana Hospital.

The Eye Bank is at the Philippine General Hospital compound on Taft Avenue.

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