Filipino pharmaceutical company Bell-Kenz Pharma has recently launched Sagip CPR, a nationwide campaign that provides free hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to Filipinos. The program seeks to equip 1 million people within a year with the knowledge and confidence to act during cardiac emergencies—making CPR a life skill every Filipino can rely on.
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| Bell-Kenz formally launched Sagip CPR on August 14, 2025 at PHINMA Cagayan de Oro College, in partnership with the Philippine Heart Association Northwestern Mindanao, PHINMA Cagayan de Oro College, Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, City Scholars Association in PHINMA COC, and CDO Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department. More than 500 students, police personnel, and volunteers were trained on the Check–Call–Compress method and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). |
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the Philippines, claiming an average of 317 lives every day, according to the Department of Health. Nearly half of these cases are caused by Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), where survival depends on immediate CPR to be performed within the first 4 to 6 minutes. However, only 2 in 10 Filipinos know how to perform it.
“With 8 out of 10 cardiac arrests happening at home, survival often depends on family members knowing CPR,” said Dr. James Cayetano, Cardiologist and President of the Bell-Kenz Foundation. “Through Sagip CPR, Bell-Kenz is one with the government in making CPR second nature for every Filipino.”
Sagip CPR Kickoff in Cagayan de Oro
Bell-Kenz formally launched Sagip CPR on August 14, 2025 at PHINMA Cagayan de Oro College, in partnership with the Philippine Heart Association Northwestern Mindanao, PHINMA Cagayan de Oro College, Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, City Scholars Association in PHINMA COC, and CDO Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department. More than 500 students, police personnel, and volunteers were trained on the Check–Call–Compress method and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
“Bell-Kenz’s Sagip CPR is a big help, because it extends training to people who are not reached by agencies such as the Philippine Heart Association, Philippine Red Cross, and the Department of Health,” Dr. Francis Lavapie, Cardiologist and Past Chair for PHA Council on CPR, echoes. “We have taught many people, and many are already teaching CPR, but still, it’s not enough — not everyone is reached,” says Dr. Francis Lavapie.
Filling Critical Gaps and Creating A Nation of Everyday Heroes
While Republic Act 10871, or the Samboy Lim Law, requires schools to provide CPR training, many young Filipinos have yet to receive it. Sagip CPR bridges this gap, ensuring that knowledge of CPR spreads not just in classrooms, but across homes, barangays, and civic groups.
Aligned with Proclamation No. 511 declaring July 17 as National CPR Day, Sagip CPR is more than a health campaign—it is a call to action. By training 1 million Filipinos in CPR, Bell-Kenz Pharma envisions a network of everyday heroes ready to save lives when it matters most.
“By equipping 1 million people with hands-only CPR training, we are building a country where help is never more than a few steps away,” Dr. Cayetano added.
Sagip CPR will be rolled out to schools, barangays, and civic groups across the country for a whole year, until it reaches 1 Million CPR-Ready Filipinos trained— steadily building a nationwide network of “everyday heroes” who are ready to act in a crisis.
