Brotherhood holds dental missions in Mt Province towns

By Jessie Degay

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The brotherhood of Saint Andrew (BSA) of the Cathedral of All Saints recently conducted dental missions in Banao, Natonin and Samoki, Bontoc.

Some 28 patients were served in Banao and 74 individuals were extracted their teeth in Samoki.

Banao is a 4-hour trip from Bontoc through rough road while Samoki is about 1 km from this capital town.

The latter is one among the four central barangays of Bontoc.

The dental mission was conceptualized when this writer was invited by Punong barangay Dionie Chungalan of Banao to grace the barangay 2^nd Lid-iwa festival and document the gigantic “elephant head” of Mount Patikking.

According to Chungalan, the barangay has no private dentist so his constituents have hard time going to Bontoc for tooth check and extraction.

He added transportation fare is costly and people are tied up with farm work and household chores.

The dental activity was postponed several times due to absence of medicines.

It was realized when Chato Bacullo of CFB merchandizing gave free dental medicines.  

The BSA had been conducting this activity and sometime blood typing for the past years especially in the barangays of Bontoc and Alfonso Lista, Ifugao.

Norton Comafay, a dentist and member of the BSA, said the dental mission will be a continuing endeavor as long as there are good Samaritans who donate dental anesthesia, pain relievers and related dental supplies. -- Francis B. Degay