Tag: volunteer

OSP-CDU Smile Fest 2024

Operation Smile PhilippinesProjects

The OSP-CDU Smile Fest 2024 is a 2-day event spearheaded by the OSP-CDU Chapter under Operation Smile Philippines, dedicated to raising funds for cleft lip and palate patients. This annual initiative started last May 2023 under the leadership of former OSP-CDU President, Mr. Ogie Legaspina. The annual fair plays a crucial role in the organization’s mission to bring smiles to those in need, nurturing and enhancing our commitment to this cause. 

The OSP-CDU Smile Fest 2024 was held May 9 and 10 this year with the leadership of Ms. Shera Angeli Saavedra, the current President of OSP-CDU for A.Y. 2023-2024. This year’s OSP-CDU Smile Fest commenced with the theme of “Parada ng Ngiti” which can be translated to a Parade of Smiles. This parade of smiles could be further highlighted with new surprises introduced by the working committees of OSP-CDU for the invited CLAP community members and the graced presence of esteemed executives from Operation Smile Philippines and Cebu Doctors’ University.

OSP-CDU owes the success of this event to all stakeholders who’ve made this event possible from the concessionaires who’ve helped raise funds for cleft lip and palate surgeries of CLAP members, the Cebu Doctors’ University offices who’ve allowed the event to take place in CDU, OSP-CLC for their support in our activities as an organization, the Executive Cabinet and working committees under OSP-CDU who’ve tirelessly worked hard to make all the components of the event come together, and the CLAP members who made time to celebrate the event with us in a parade of smiles!

We hope to see you all once again next year as we continue to celebrate smiles one day at a time!

The Boy In The Mirror Was Smiling Back

OSPStories
Bal Ligot

Who would ever thought that a mirror could make one realize that he is exactly where he needs to be?

This is what Speech Pathologist Bal Ligot found out in 2005 as part of the volunteer team in Bataan.

Fernando Ligot or “Bal” to his family and friends is one of the longest-serving volunteers of Operation Smile Philippines. He has been in countless local surgical missions around the Philippines. Bal also regularly takes part in international surgical missions around the world. His expertise and compassion has also touched the lives of people across the globe.

The start of his journey

Bal had heard about Operation Smile while he was still in his teens. But it was in college at UP Manila that he got to meet Dr. Michael Van Lue, an American speech pathologist and volunteer for Operation Smile. Dr. VanLue was in the Philippines in 1999 and wanted to reach out to fellow speech therapists. At that time, UP was the only school offering speech pathology. After the meeting, Bal was invited to join a surgical mission the following year.

Being the son of a surgeon, Bal was familiar with the work surgeons do. But it was not until he entered the speech pathology program of UP Manila did he get to work and experience working with children with cleft lip and palate.  And when he did join the Operation Smile surgical mission in 2000 in Cavite, he experienced first-hand the difference he can make in the lives of people.

What keeps him going

“Changing the lives not only of the patients but their families as well keeps me going.” This is what pushes Bal forward in his time with Operation Smile Philippines. It also helps that there is a whole community of Operation Smile volunteers driven by the same desire to help other people in need.

“Surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, speech therapists, dentists, and all the other volunteers – these people working together to help make the lives of these individuals better is what keeps me going.”, he said. He also added that the word “just” does not exist in the vocabulary of Operation Smile.

He explains, “ I do not believe in the word just”  – “I am just a dentist” or “I am just a medical records person” or “I am just a nurse”.  Each and every person in the mission team who is doing something to help make the life of another better is not “just” doing something, they are doing exactly what needs to be done. So I say – “I am a dentist” or “I am a medical records person” or “I am a nurse” add to that…” and I help change the lives of individuals with cleft lip and palate”. That idea is what keeps me going.”

Most unforgettable mission

Bal was in Balanga Bataan in 2005 when he saw a child looking at himself in the mirror after receiving cleft lip surgery. This seems like an ordinary and typical thing any patient would do after an operation. You would want to check how it went and what the operation looks like. But this was not the case.

Bal said that there wasn’t anything unusual about the scene. That is until the mother of the child with tears in her eyes said “he has never looked at himself in the mirror before his cleft lip was operated on until now”.  The boy in the mirror was smiling back. This was when Bal realized that in that exact point in time, it was a life-changing moment for the boy, his mother, and for him.