Koronadal City (9 November) -- Bombo Radyo Philippines held yesterday (November 7) its yearly blood letting activity in the country's 24 key cities.

In General Santos, blood donors from the city and adjacent Sarangani Province gathered at the covert court for the whole day event.

"Last year, we won the second highest award for our nationwide mobile blood donation activity with 1,449 units (bags) of donated blood," station manager Ricky Collado said.

This year, Bombo Radyo-Gensan targets 800 blood donors for the day's activity.

"Our theme this year is "100% voluntary donation," said Merly Gludo, Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) General Santos City Chapter administrator. PNRC partners with Bombo Radyo in its yearly activity.

"Let us help save lives," Gludo said.

Gludo said an average of 30 bags is released from the PNRC-Gensan Chapter everyday to cater patients' needs in the hospitals. "So now we take the opportunity of saving blood from our donors through this event and also with other organizations."

"I feel better and refreshed every time I donate blood," said Ricardo Bazar, a donor. "I feel clean and happy knowing I have helped others."

"The red blood sources in our body are the ribs and the femur," Federico Yadao, a medical technologist, said.

"After we let the worn off blood from our body that actually lives only for 130 days, it is immediately replaced by new and younger red blood cells which carry more nutrients and work in our body faster," Yadao said.

Yadao works at the Sarangani Provincial Health Office and a member of the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists (PAMET) whose members also joined the activity.

Sarangani Governor Migs Dominguez is awarded by Bombo Radyo as Local Chief Executive Regional Sandugo Award this year.