Masbate children get free cleft, palate surgeries

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MASBATE CITY, Philippines – Children in Masbate were recently given the chance to smile with confidence and hope through a surgical and medical program held in partnership between a gold-mining firm and the provincial government.

The three-day program, called “Golden Smile: Golden Smiles, Brighter Tomorrow”, was organized by Phil. Gold Processing & Refining Corp. (Phil. Gold)— a wholly owned subsidiary of B2Gold Corp. — in partnership with the Provincial Government of Masbate, and Operation Smile Philippines Foundation Inc. 

The Golden Smile program provides free cleft lip and palate surgery, along with post-surgery care and treatment, medicine, transportation and accommodation services.

Surgeries were conducted from March 22-24 at Masbate Provincial Hospital (MPH), where 41 patients with cleft lip and palate from across the province received life-changing procedures. Out-patients and their guardians were also provided with meals during the program.

Thirty-eight (38) patients, mostly children, underwent surgery, while three additional patients received palatal obturators as a non-surgical treatment. The patient ages ranged from two months old to 49 years old. All surgical patients will receive post-operative care and return for follow-up checkups at the end of the month.

“We believe that caring for the community goes beyond providing opportunities — it means restoring dignity, confidence, and hope. Through Operation Golden Smile, we are committed to giving every child and every patient the chance to smile again and live a fuller life,” said Phil. Gold President Ryan Rusk.

Emiliano Romano, outgoing executive director for the Philippines at Operation Smile International and incoming Regional Director for Asia, said the Foundation has already provided 350,000 surgeries globally aside from comprehensive care. In the Philippines alone, its team of accredited, board-certified and experienced volunteer medical and health care professionals has performed 35,000 surgeries since 1988.

He said the Foundation focuses on provinces in the country with a high number of patients, such as  Masbate, which led to the decision to bring the program to the province. In partnership with Phil. Gold, the initiative was supported as part of the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility — helping bring renewed confidence and brighter smiles to Masbateño children and adults with cleft lip and palate.

For the Golden Smile project in Masbate, Operation Smile Philippines deployed a team of 40 fully credentialed medical volunteers, including plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, operating room nurses, a pediatrician/intensivist, dentists, speech pathologists, a biomedical technician, a patient imaging technician/photographer, and a child life specialist to carry out the procedures.

As a counterpart, the provincial government, through Gov. Ricardo Kho, allowed the use of the MPH as the venue for the Operation Smile program.

Phil. Gold Senior Medical Superintendent Dr. Alexis Bautista noted that cleft lip and palate surgical missions in Masbate have been ongoing since 2014, originally initiated by Filminera Resources Corporation. Building on this legacy, the company said it is now leading the Golden Smile project as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts, in partnership with Operation Smile. Beyond surgery, the program provides comprehensive care, including speech therapy, nutrition counselling and dental services.

“Our goal is to provide permanent, life-changing impacts to our patients. The assistance does not end with the operation. We continue the support, which for us is more important because the operation is just the start. The result we aim for is the life-changing experience,” Bautista said.

“For a kid to have a Golden Smile, he or she should have a permanent, life-changing experience after undergoing surgery and post-surgery care — one that permanent, and a story that a parent can share with the child when they grow up.  The experience can also inspire others to also undergo the procedure and to not be ashamed of their condition, in order to live with a golden smile,” he added.

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