29/10/2026
Some 450 residents of Oriental Mindoro received free medical and dental services through the LAB for All bus donated by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos during a two-day medical mission in Naujan town and Calapan City over the weekend.
The medical mission, led by Pola Mayor Jennifer Mindanao Cruz, was held on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Barangay Bagong Buhay 1 in Naujan and on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Barangay Sto. Niño in Calapan City.
Beneficiaries received free general consultations for children and adults, basic laboratory services, including X-rays, medicines, and dental procedures led by Dr. Dianna Datu-Retusto.
Cruz said the initiative aims to bring healthcare services closer to Mindoreños, particularly those who cannot afford regular medical checkups, laboratory tests and medicines.
She said she was the only recipient of a LAB for All bus in Oriental Mindoro and wanted to maximize its use by bringing free healthcare services to more communities across the province. Cruz also thanked the First Lady for providing the bus, saying it would help extend government health services to residents, including those in far-flung barangays.
For 62-year-old Divina Blanco of Naujan, the mission provided much-needed dental assistance to her 95-year-old mother, Celestina Eliab, whom she accompanied for a tooth extraction. Blanco said traveling to a dental clinic in town would have meant additional transportation expenses, while tooth extraction at private dental clinics could cost at least ₱1,000 per tooth.
“Sinamahan ko lamang itong aking ina dahil malapit lamang sa bahay. Mapapamahal pa kami kung pupunta sa bayan, bukod sa mahal na pamasahe dahil tricycle ang aming sasakyan. Mahigit ₱1,000 ang bayad sa bunot ng isang ngipin,” Blanco said.
Meanwhile, Maricel Leuterio, a barangay councilor from Barangay Sto. Niño in Calapan City, welcomed the availability of free physical therapy services during the mission.
Leuterio said she had been recovering from a stroke she suffered two years ago and only regained her health significantly in July 2026. She continued to experience occasional joint pain, making the physical therapy service helpful to her recovery.
Following the medical mission in Naujan and Calapan City, Cruz said the next activities are scheduled in the municipalities of Bongabong and Roxas in November.
The succeeding missions are expected to extend free consultations, laboratory services and other healthcare assistance to more residents across Oriental Mindoro. | via Ace Sapit/PIA