The Club’s involvement in the fight against TB started in 1975 when Pres. Arthur “Art” Misner linked up with the Philippine Tuberculosis Society to train a group of nutritionists and volunteers in administering the anti-TB vaccine, BCG. The volunteers were eventually fielded for an immunization drive that benefited 822 children.

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The Club’s involvement in the anti-TB effort intensified under Pres. Giorgio Bongulielmi who was able to enter into an exclusive partnership with Direct Relief International, a US-based humanitarian agency, for the distribution of TB medicines in the country.

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With its DRI connection, the Club was encouraged to start a massive anti-TB project in two towns in Cavite—Dasmariñas and Carmona, resettlement communities for former informal settlers, majority of whom had tested positive for TB. The project was funded by a TRF matching grant of $162,000 and implemented in partnership with the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development and AKAPKA Foundation, both headed by Sec. Mita Pardo de Tavera. The project was discontinued in 1990 when the two communities were declared TB-free.

Revived in RY 2001-2002 under Pres. Jonny Carlos, with focus shifting to children with primary complex, the new wave has provided treatment to over 2,800 patients, using funds from three TRF grants totaling $130,000.

The program employs the WHO-prescribed Directly Observed Therapy, Short Course (DOTS) strategy of medical treatment that calls for a health worker to personally dispense a cocktail of medicines every day to make sure that the patient actually takes them. Discontinuance of medication before the cycle is completed has been found to breed multi-drug resistant mutations of the TB bacterium, a situation that compounds the problem and makes treatment more difficult and costly. During the term of Pres. Larry Boyer in 2008, concern about the increase of multi-drug resistant (MDR) cases prompted the Club to make a donation of P500,000 to the Philippine International Center for TB to help fund its work of finding a cure for the MDR strain.

During the centennial of Rotary International in 2004-2005, the Club, under Pres. Federico “Freddie” Borromeo, renewed its commitment to the anti-TB cause by leading the “Rotary Declaration Against TB” and spearheading “Stop TB 2005", a program that involved all Rotary Clubs in the 10 Rotary districts in the Philippines, together with the World Health Organization, Department of Health, and the Philippine Coalition Against TB.

Pres. Reggie Nolido ended his term with a global grant of P65,000 to fund a Stop TB Now program for 11 treatment modules for 775 children in eight sites. The program is to be completed in May 2016.

The Club carries on with the project, nursing sick children back to health, 30 at a time. Its anti-TB scheme is likely to go on as long as there are Filipinos, young and old, who are at risk of being wasted or killed by the disease.