Watsons and Operation Smile commit to bringing more smiles…

Officials of Operation Smile and Watsons continue to strengthen their partnership in order to provide comprehensive cleft care to more patients, especially children.

Seeing how a child’s face lights up after surgery or how he or she gains confidence is more than enough to motivate both organizations to carry on with their mission, hoping to bring more positive light to many lives.

Looking back at the solid years of partnership, Alisandrea Coloma, Senior Manager for Sustainability & Corporate PR of Watsons, said it all started in 2013 and has only gotten stronger through the years.

This year, they are on their 36th mission and have already transformed the lives of almost 3,000 children.

“We are looking at doing 185 surgeries this year, in line with the 185th anniversary of Watsons as a company,” said Coloma.

Watsons’ role is not only to provide funds but also to mobilize volunteers by urging their employees to participate in the mission activities.

According to Maria Adelfa T. De Ramos, Director of Sales Operations of Watsons, by joining the mission with Operation Smile their employees have become more emphathetic and have developed genuine care for their customers, beyond just selling a product.

Miriam Delos Santos, Executive Director of Operation Smile, for her part, shared that Cebu was chosen as the site for the Comprehensive Cleft Care Center of Excellence, which is located at the 7th floor of the Cebu City Medical Center, because Cebu is a central location for its operations and is also accessible not just to patients from the Visayas but also to the other parts of the country.

As Operation Smile and Watsons embark on another major surgical mission next month, both teams vow to continue providing free cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries and extending help well after the operation through comprehensive care. (Text and photos by Niza G. Mariñas)