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Viva Filipino

Your welcome gift · print it, fill it out, stick it on two refrigerators

The Emergency Plan Checklist

For families with parents in the Philippines · vivafilipino.com

Fill this out in one family video call. Keep a printed copy in your parents' home in the Philippines and in your home abroad. Review it every six months.

1 · Emergency contacts — who calls whom

  • First responder on the ground (nearest relative/neighbor, <1 hr away):
  • Decision-maker abroad (primary):
  • Backup decision-maker (for night shifts / travel):
  • Caregiver / helper & her personal emergency contact:
  • Attending physician & secretary's number:
  • Barangay emergency line & nearest rescue:
  • We have tested the phone tree once — everyone answered

2 · Hospital plan — decided before it's needed

  • ER hospital for true emergencies (nearest capable):
  • Preferred hospital for serious-but-stable (doctor's admitting privileges):
  • Typical admission deposit & exactly how it gets paid within hours:
  • PhilHealth member ID confirmed active; number written here:
  • Senior citizen (OSCA) ID location:

3 · Medical one-pager — on the refrigerator

  • Diagnoses & allergies listed
  • Every medication with dose & schedule (the maintenance-meds list)
  • Past surgeries & hospitalizations
  • Blood type & approximate weight
  • Photo of the one-pager saved in the family group chat
  • Someone owns updating it every prescription change — who:

4 · Documents — findable in five minutes

  • Location of: birth certificates, marriage certificate, passports/IDs:
  • Property titles / condo CCT location:
  • Insurance policies (life, memorial plan) location & contact:
  • Scanned copies of all of the above in a shared family folder

5 · Authority — who can act

  • Special Power of Attorney executed (bank / PhilHealth / property scope) — held by:
  • If signed abroad: apostilled or consularized, original in the Philippines
  • Family agreement in writing: who speaks for Mom/Dad on medical decisions:
  • Parents' own wishes discussed (incl. resuscitation & ICU preferences) — hard, necessary

6 · Money access — the 24-hour test

If the hospital needed ₱80,000 tonight, how does it arrive? Have at least two ways:

  • PH emergency fund account, accessible by first responder — where/who:
  • Remittance app tested end-to-end (limits & cutoff times known):
  • Emergency card held on the ground, written usage agreement:
  • Bank access survives incapacity (joint account / signatory verified with the bank)