Summer time is here again and that means the perfect time for young boys to come of age.
Over 500 boys in the first district of Davao del Norte have undergone the rite of passage to manhood courtesy of the free Operation ‘Tuli’ (circumcision) under the AGR Kids Plus program of Congressman Anthony del Rosario.
“Summer is ideal for circumcising the boys as it is vacation time from school,” said Ma. Eliza Andin, AGR’s chief of staff.
She said circumcision in males, which consists of removing part of the prepuce or foreskin of the penis, is done in our country as part of Filipino culture and for health purposes.
“Circumcised boys are thought to be cleaner and more hygienic this way,” Andin added.
AGR’s office undertakes the annual free circumcision services in order to lead the young men away from the hands of traditional neighborhood circumcisers who often perform the procedure using insanitary tools.
The ritual, she added, has become a must, nay a badge of honor, among Filipino youth. The uncircumcised male is generally ostracized by Filipino society.
This claim is supported by doting grandmother Felisa Oracio, 70, of Poblacion New Corella, who accompanied her two grandsons, Jomar, 12 and Carl 13, to the town’s gymnasium for the summer ritual.
She did not mind the makeshift operating table that accommodated about 20 half-naked young boys with exposed penis as doctors and nurses moved from table to table to operate on them.
There was a show of uneasiness among some of the more than a hundred boys in the waiting area each time a boy being operated on cried out, more in fear than pain. But grandma Oracio was proud her grandsons were able to maintain their composure when their turn came.
Health workers in assistance encouraged everyone to calm down and not shy away to prove their entry into puberty. After going under the knife, each of the boys was rewarded with ice cream, courtesy of provincial board member Vicente Elliot.
Over 500 boys in the first district towns of New Corella, San Isidro and Talaingod have undergone free circumcision while hundreds more will have their turn when the AGR Kids Plus brings operation free ‘tuli’ to Tagum City, the towns of Kapalong and Asuncion in the coming weeks.
The congressional office had sought the partnership of the provincial government of Davao del Norte, through the Provincial Health Office and the Kapalong District Hospital, as well as the respective local government units for the activity.
The AGR Kids Plus program offers health and nutrition services for children. It complements the AGR Kids sports program which started when the representative was yet serving as the provincial sports coordinator.
After conducting the Operation Tuli, the office is set to hold free sports clinics and activities for children in the month of May to make their summer vacation as meaningful and productive as possible.
Medical and dental outreach activities for children will be held during the next school year throughout the first district. This is apart from the P1 million per barangay of the district.
Mre programs, projects and services from the congressional office are on tap after Cong. AGR arrives in June from his yearlong furlough.
“Konting hintayan na lang at darating na si Congressman Anthony del Rosario,” she assured.
