Eyeglasses distributed to Palo residents

MANILA, Philippines - The GT-Metro Foundation (GTMF), in partnership with the Philippine Navy-Naval Reserve Command (NAVRESCOM), conducted its Salamin sa Maliwanag na Bukas (Eyeglasses for a Bright Future) program at the Palo Municipal Hall in Leyte recently.

As part of recovery efforts for communities affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda, the Salamin mission benefited 60 public school students to prepare them for the coming school year and 482 adults and elderly to support them as they continue to engage in productive activities.

Mayor Remedios Petilla thanked GTMF for its service to the residents of Palo, who are still recovering from Yolanda.

“We never expected to be part of a program like this but we are so thankful. My eyes experienced such relief with the use of my new reading glasses,” Palo resident Carmen Collado said.

With the assistance of volunteers from NAVRESCOM, ROTC, the barangay health center and Metrobank Purple Hearts Palo chapter, residents availed themselves of the free eye wash service together with their reading or prescription eyeglasses, and received tips on proper eye care.

 Salamin sa Maliwanag na Bukas is a nationwide eye check up and eyeglasses distribution program that aims to reach out to underprivileged communities where access to eye services is costly and difficult. Since its conception in 2010, the program has distributed almost 11,000 pairs of eyeglasses to indigent adults and school-aged children nationwide.