DAVAO ORIENTAL – Young boys in rural communities in Caraga town have lined up for free circumcision during Barangay Outreach Caravan initiated by the Provincial Government.
Dubbed as “Operation Tuli”, the free circumcision was included in the roster of free services under the Nagkakaisang Lingkod-bayan ng Davao Oriental – Barangay Outreach Caravan (NLD-BOC) on April 24-26, 2019 at five barangays of the Municipality of Caraga. The said service was provided alongside other regular lineup services on healthcare, legal, livelihood, and social, among other services.
The free circumcision was facilitated by the workforce of Davao Oriental Provincial Medical Center, Department of Health, and the Municipal Health Office of Caraga that benefitted 233 young boys from Barangays San Luis, San Antonio, Manurigao, Santa Fe and Santiago.
According to the NLD-BOC Secretariat, the last “Operation Tuli” brought at the caravan was way back in 2017. “We are glad that we are able to bring it back to our roster of services,” said Provincial Government Department Head Rotchie Ravelo, noting that free and safe medical circumcision is among the many services required especially in poor communities where access to medical services is scarce.
Mostly done during summer vacations, circumcision that is traditionally associated with Christian culture is considered as an obligatory rite of passage or the traditional transition of a young boy into adulthood.
“Yamahadlok ako magpatuli kay makakita man gud ako ng samad pati dugo. Pero kinahanglan ko magpatuli kay basin kantsawan ako nang kanak mga amigo,” (I’m afraid of the circumcision because of the lacerations with blood I saw. But I have to do it otherwise I might be teased by my friends) said Dodong, a Grade 1 student of Santiago Elementary School who was happy to avail this free service.
Young Filipino boys who refuse to undergo circumcision would somehow be stigmatized and ridiculed by their peers, thus most of them tend to experience the painful price of social acceptance than being teased by everyone.
According to the World Health Organization, 30 to 33 percent of men aged 15 above are circumcised worldwide, while in the Philippines the figure is 93 percent. Moreover, 42% of them have undergone the procedure before they were 10 years old and 52% from 10 to 14 years old, based on the 2002 study published by the New England Journal of Medicine written by Dr. Xavier Castellsague et al.
After the operation, Dodong is now wearing loose, skirt-like clothe, ready of the swelling to follow.
Meanwhile, more than 1,600 residents have received free medicines from the Provincial Health Office after they underwent series of free check-up from volunteer doctors and specialists.
Almost 1,000 free eyeglasses were also distributed to the community at the 5 villages of Caraga town.
These 5 villages are the 112th to 116th Barangays beneficiaries of NLD-BOC, respectively and were added to the accomplished matrix.
By the end of the year, the Provincial Government aims to finish all the 183 Barangays for the first phase of NLD-BOC and will return to the first beneficiary in Manay for the “Enriched Barangay Outreach Caravan” that will be anchored to the Executive Order 70 issued by President Rodrigo R. Duterte calling for the Whole-Of-The-Nation Approach in ending local communism and armed struggle.
