“Operation Tuli”

Tuli or male circumcision is already a ritual for Filipinos. It has a long historical tradition
and is considered a rite of passage. Boys who have not undergone the ritual are usually ridiculed
from their peers. Newly circumcised boys usually wear housedresses or loose skirts to help in the
healing.
We conducted our second corporate social responsibility in Lugait, Misamis Oriental in
cooperation with the barangay health workers in their free circumcision held at the Lugait
medical center. The day before the activity, we were told that we have to be there at eight
o’clock in the morning and to bring snacks for the kids who will be circumcised but we got
caught up the next day because some of us were late. When we arrived, the medical center was
already crowded. Parents were already signing up their names, boys from ages six to nine were
taking up their weight and height, and the health workers were busy helping the attendees.
Luckily, our marketing classmates were a little early and they were already distributing priority
numbers to the attendees and documenting the activities. Since we were late, we don’t really
have that much to do because everyone already had their specific jobs unlike in our first
corporate social responsibility that we really had to do everything on our own. Most of us stayed
outside but I decided to stay in the hallway where the boys and their guardians lined up for their
turn. It was a funny experience because the kids had different reactions when they were lining
up. Some were very excited and some were already crying and backing out. Majority of the kids
had red eyes from crying when they go out from the operating room. Some were disappointed
because they were not allowed to be circumcised since they were not yet “palos”. Dr. Tuazon,
the head of operation told us bring seventy snacks for kids, so we panicked when there were
already eighty priority numbers distributed so we decided to contribute money to buy additional
snacks. Some parents were disappointed because they were cut-off from signing up because a
maximum of only eighty kids are to be given free circumcision on that day. Since there were
some kids backed out, there were some remaining snacks that we decided to share. The activity
was whole day so it was also tiring but it was a very fun experience.