MALATE, Manila — If Bell-Kenz Pharmaceuticals’ Sagip CPR advocacy was launched eleven years ago, PBA legend Samboy ‘Skywalker’ Lim could have been saved after he fell unconscious during a basketball practice and somebody train Ed in basic life support was able to quickly respond in the crisis.
This was the take of Dr. James Cayetano at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum held at posh Cafe Adriatico in Manila, where the well-known cardiologist discussed Bell-Kenz Pharma’s nationwide campaign to build a more-prepared and heart-safe Philippines with Dr. Francis Marie Purino and public relations head Patrick Larraga.
In tackling the advocacy, Dr. Cayetano stressed the need to promote public awareness on life-saving emergency response as he urged government authorities to implement the laws governing it, particularly Republic Act 10871, or ‘The Basic Life Support Training in Schools Act’ which became a law in 2015 and is also known as ‘The Samboy Lim Law’.
“We just have to implement it to help save lives,” he pointed out while citing that Lim’s case was providential as it was instrumental in the passage of the bill authored by then Congressman and basketball coach Joseller ‘Yeng’ Guiao in 2015.
“That’s why Samboy’s wife (Solicitor General Darlene ‘Lelen’ Berberabe) and athlete-daughter (Jamie Lim) are very active in promoting this basic life support training or CPR ” Dr. Cayetano noted.
For her part, Dr. Purino underscored that in an emergency situation, “every second counts in saving a life so it is important to teach people, including the youth, the correct way of doing CPR.”
Both medical experts, however, admitted that the IRR (implementing rules and regulations) for the said law are still being worked out until now.