Young Filipinos may become lifesavers after a Congress-approved bill lapsed into law last week requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation training part of the country’s basic education curriculum.
Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, principal author of the CPR law or Republic Act 10871, said the measure mandates all public and private basic education schools in the country to make CPR training a requisite prior to graduation.
“CPR is an essential lifesaving skill that ordinary citizens and even our youth can be trained to do,’’ Angara said.
Angara congratulated former Pampanga Rep. Yeng Guiao, head coach of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association, Philippine Heart Association, and other stakeholders “who helped in the passage of this very vital measure.”
He cited testimonies of international health experts that a victim’s survival doubles when CPR – an emergency procedure applied when someone’s heart stopped beating – is administered as it helps maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain.
Angara pointed to the case of basketball legend Samboy Lim suffered cardiac arrest during an exhibition game in 2014 and had been on comatose for more than a month.
Doctors said the damage to Lim’s body would have been minimized if CPR had been administered during the three-minute window period.
“We must instill health consciousness among Filipinos, and ensure that we are equipped with the necessary knowledge and basic skills to respond to certain health emergencies,’’ Angara said. (Mario B. Casayuran)