For PCSO to know

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s (PCSO) announcement on the “delisting” of more than 100 beneficiary institutions made headlines and raised eyebrows. Many of these institutions are run by religious congregations and church-related groups that minister to the poor.

The reason the PCSO gave was the “misuse” (not necessarily “abuse”) of funds. There was a problem with liquidation on the part of the beneficiaries, PCSO chair Margarita Juico explained. A big issue was the use of PCSO funds for administrative expenses when these should be for health/medical purposes only of persons in need. Batteries not included, as the saying goes.

I went over the list of the delisted (temporarily, pending liquidation of expenses, it was clarified) and felt sorry for them. I know many of them and what they do for “the last, the least and the lost.” I am familiar with a good number of these institutions and I have written about the heroic work some of them do—quietly, without fanfare and despite the scarcity of funds. They provide services that government agencies are supposed to provide.

Now they look (or are being made to look) like they have not been good stewards of funds entrusted to them. Not all have been remiss in complying with PCSO requirements.

Among those on the list are ministries of the Religious of the Good Shepherd (RGS). One of them, the Heart of Mary Villa (HMV), provides residential care for women who have gotten pregnant outside of marriage (because of either rape, incest or consensual/casual sex) and who need a place to go for counseling and care, and for babies who have been surrendered or abandoned.

For the last 54 years, HMV has been a place of refuge for pregnant women in crisis. Thousands of mothers had resolved their crises here, thousands of babies had spent their first few months in the HMV nursery before they were adopted. You might know some grown-ups who made good in this world who came from there. I know some. And I have written about their amazing life journey as much-loved adopted children and great citizens of this planet. I wish one or two of them would come forward to speak about the need for a place like HMV.

The Good Shepherd Sisters were sad when they learned that HMV was among the “delisted.” HMV president Sr. Marion Chipeco RGS wrote to the Inquirer: “The track record of HMV for 54 years attests to the relevance and necessity of its program and services. This reality must have made PCSO include HMV in the list of regular beneficiaries. We are grateful for the assistance…

“However, since 2002 we have experienced difficulty in receiving our subsidy… We sent letters from time to time. Part of the assistance meant for the years 2002-2004 was received intermittently, until we were told that what was not released would no longer be released. Instead, we were asked in 2007 to submit the requirements for a memorandum of agreement (MOA). The MOA, approved in July 2007, stipulated that a subsidy of P100,000 would be released monthly within the year. It took two years, though, for the subsidy to be completed…

“For 2008 we were asked to submit original receipts but no MOA was approved for 2008. (The original receipts that we sent were not returned to us.) The MOA for 2009 was approved in July 2009, a subsidy of P100,000 was released in August 2009, followed by another subsidy of the same amount in October 2010. No other subsidy followed.”

So where is the P1.2 million yearly for HMV that the PCSO is talking about?

Welcome House, also run by the RGS, was also among the “delisted.” For almost 40 years, Welcome House in Paco, Manila, has been a shelter for women and girls in crisis. Many of its clients have been referred by government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Philippine General Hospital Child Protection Unit and the Women and Children’s Desk of the Philippine National Police, Welcome House coordinator Sr. Pilar Verzosa RGS said.

What government agencies cannot always do, the Good Shepherd nuns do.

Wrote Sr. Pilar: “We need funds for electricity, water, transportation to hospital, fees for psychiatrists and lawyers, funds for court hearings, repairs, food, clothing. These items have always been included in all the requests of charitable institutions. But now PCSO lists these as administrative costs which should mean only salaries, office supplies, rental, etc.

“All of us institutions know that we never ask for these items. There is no so-called ‘abuse’ involved. It is the task of the DSWD to assess if agencies and institutions should or should not be given allocations. DSWD accreditation has always been required by the PCSO. I believe that all those institutions delisted by the PCSO are DSWD-accredited. We are all in the same dilemma as to how we will now maintain our services to the poor.”

HMV and Welcome House are just two of the many and varied ministries of the RGS.

After more than 50 years in Malabon, HMV recently transferred inside the sprawling Good Shepherd compound in Quezon City where a new building that serves as nursery was inaugurated last February. Malabon is a flood-prone area and HMV was not spared the frequent inundation in recent years. In 2009 when Typhoon “Ondoy” caused huge parts of Metro Manila to go underwater, HMV was barely afloat. It was time to seek higher ground.

The RGS have many other ministries to sustain. Founded in France in 1835 by Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, the congregation came to the Philippines in 1912 and will be celebrating a century in the country next year. The RGS are among the largest women’s congregations in the world. Their mission is “directed to the most neglected and marginalized, in whom the image of God is most obscure.”

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This Sunday, October 2, be surprised to read a thicker Sunday Inquirer Magazine, now a monthly.

(Send feedback to cerespd@gmail.com or www.ceresdoyo.com)

When breast friends gather

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

We had a blast.

ICanServe’s 3rd national Silver Linings gathering held at the Grand Regal Hotel in Davao City last weekend was awesome, amazing, inspiring, heart-tugging. One is at a loss for adjectives in describing the experience. More than 1,000 participants from all over the country, most of them coming from Mindanao, came to be part of “a sisterhood like no other.”

The majority, if not many, of the participants (myself included) were can-do, energetic breast cancer survivors, the rest were special persons from the indispensable circle of support. Health workers, providers and advocates. Doctors, relatives, friends, facilitators, organizers, volunteers, sponsors. Grassroots women mingled with celebrities. Survivors in various states of wellness and stages of recovery from illness bonded, embraced, shed tears, laughed, prayed, listened to one another. Bright pink on black was the color theme of the day.

The registration lines were long, despite online pre-registration for many, and I thought, would we be able to start on time? But in no time the sea of women in the lobby thinned out and we all found our seats in the big, packed session hall. We were off to a good start and the day grandly unfolded as it should.

What is Silver Linings? Held every three years, Silver Linings is an educational forum and homecoming for breast cancer survivors and their circle of support. It is organized by ICanServe Foundation Inc. (whose major partner in this year’s gathering was Evolife-Evaux Laboratories). Several institutions, establishments, corporations, the media (the Inquirer, of course), Davao health advocacy groups and the city government threw in their support. 

And what is ICanServe? Founded in 1999, ICanServe is an advocacy group of breast cancer survivors that promotes early breast cancer detection. Its flagship program is “Ating Dibdibin,” a Filipino saying that means taking it to heart. Dibdib means chest or breast. For ICanServe, “Ating Dibdibin” means “take your breast care to heart.”  

Presiding at ICanServe’s birth were Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala (indefatigable founding president), Crisann Celdran, Becky Fuentes and Bet Yap. Its present executive director is Leilani E. Eusebio. Ating Dibdibin” is a barangay-based breast cancer screening program, the first of its kind in the country. It is the foundation’s response to the grim reality that the Philippines has the highest incidence of breast cancer in Southeast Asia. The Philippines ranks ninth in the world. Globally, breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths among women.

The screening program entails training of the community’s medical team composed mainly of barangay health workers, community forums and screening, patient navigation programs, information campaigns, creation of cancer registry and support groups. The program also establishes partnership with those who can give free or subsidized diagnostics and treatments.
ICanServe urges and campaigns that: by age 20, women must do a monthly breast self-examination; by age 30, women must do an annual clinical exam, and a monthly breast self-examination; by age 40, women must do a yearly mammogram, an annual clinical examination and a monthly breast self-examination.“Be in the loop; get the knowledge, get the edge” is ICanServe’s latest campaign catch words.

ICanServe’s Silver Linings brings participants from all over the country every three years. The first one was held in Manila in 2005, the second in Cebu City in 2008, the third in Davao City this year. These huge gatherings are followed by smaller forums for patient groups on topics like promoting patient power, patient counseling and patient navigation.

Being distributed free of charge is ICanServe’s resource and guide book for the breast cancer community. There is also a breast self-exam video in Filipino (hosted by Dawn Zulueta), Visayan (Rakki Vega) and English (Lea Salonga). To raise funds, ICanServe holds events such as food festivals (Pink Kitchen), bazaars (Tickled Pink) and auctions (ICanShop).

ICanServe can be reached at Room 3007, GCF Building, Garnet corner Ruby Streets, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Tel. 6365578,  email info@icanservefoundation.org.

And yes, if you are looking for a support group there is Carewell Community Foundation (8151294, 7510242, info@carewellcommunity. org).

The Davao City event was a first for many women of Mindanao. Aside from the plenary sessions, there were small discussions on topics such as “What to expect beyond five years of cancer remission,” “Managing the side effects of cancer treatments,” “Role of family and friends,” “Cancer-causing foods,” “Breast cancer 101,” “Stories that heal,” “How husbands cope,” “What is Her-2 breast cancer?” “Breaking the news about cancer to family and friends” and many more. Experts shared knowledge and insights and were assisted by facilitators
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I was one of the eight who shared stories of hope at the plenary. One was a male, breast cancer survivor who showed me his scar. Scriptwriter-director Bibeth Orteza, wearing a red shoe on one foot and a black one on the other, was the irrepressible emcee. She told the crowd: “What does it matter if the colors are not the same? What does it matter if I have only one breast?”

But there was a very personal side to all of these for many and for me, and that was bonding with and meeting sisters (and brothers) both old and new, cancer survivors and supporters of the sisterhood. I mention some names: Kara, Lani, Bangge, Vangie, Crissan, Pamsy, Mercy, Marivic, Me’Anne, Bettina, Carla, Bibeth, Tang, Leonor, Lynne, Sam, Karen, Rachel, Rose, Chic, Bobbit, Norman…

The impact of the experience and the memories could last a lifetime.

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Communicating on non-communicable diseases

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

The initials NCD (non-communicable diseases) should become as familiar as NGO, MDG, HIV, CNN and WHO if used often enough. Why, even AH1N1 (hard to say for the H-challenged) made it to our vocabulary. Many Filipinos prefer to just say “Ahini.”

So, say NCD. Popularize it. Because fighting NCD is now on the global agenda and it better be on our national agenda, too.

Many diseases vie for attention. Advocates for their control and obliteration from the face of the earth are doing their best to lobby for funds, research, medicines and action on the part of their leaders.

There are two categories: the infectious or communicable, and the non-communicable. Cancer is an example of an NCD. Like other NCDs, and depending on many factors, it could be preventable, controllable, treatable and curable.

On Sept. 19 and 20 the High-Level Meeting (HLM or summit) on Non-Communicable Diseases will take place at the United Nations in New York. It is not often that the UN convenes a summit to tackle diseases. The last one was in 2001, which was on HIV-AIDS, a communicable disease.

Last June the American Cancer Society convened an international media forum to drum up the importance of the high-level meeting on NCDs. Global Cancer Ambassadors from the Philippines Dr. Rachel Rosario, Emer Rojas and Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala were in attendance and, upon their return, they embarked on an information campaign on NCDs in order to call the attention of government, civil society groups and the media.

The Sept. 19 UN summit will bring together the world’s heads of state/government to develop global strategies to address the urgent problem of the rising rate of NCDs, which are the world’s leading cause of death. The summit is expected to focus on galvanizing action at global and national levels to address the health and socio-economic impacts of NCDs. Multi-sectoral approaches are important in NCD prevention and control.

This summit is expected to come out with a political declaration that will determine the course of action over the next years for nations to address the NCD epidemic in order to save lives. Tobacco control is expected to be high on the agenda. The NCD Alliance has been calling for the accelerated implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

This once-in-a-generation gathering is seen as an opportunity to put cancer and other NCDs on the global health agenda. According to the American Cancer Society, cancer and other NCDs have traditionally been neglected by the global community. NCDs receive less than 3 percent of public and private funding. The global health agenda has been dominated by HIV-AIDS, malaria, TB, maternal and child health.

NCDs are a development issue because their risk factors are closely linked to poverty. The arguments are strong. NCDs are a serious threat to the health of people in developing countries. Some 63 percent of all deaths in the world are due to NCDs; more than 80 percent are in developing countries; 90 percent of those who die from NCDs below age 60 are in developing countries and economies in transition. Most of these deaths could have been prevented.

There is unequivocal evidence that NCDs are a threat to socio-economic development in developing countries. The NCD epidemic is growing faster in the poorest countries where the poorest people are more likely to smoke and often spend more on tobacco than on education, health and clothing combined. The cost of treating NCDs creates a poverty trap for poor families.

NCDs hold back the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in developing countries, particularly Goal 1 which is to “eradicate extreme hunger and poverty” and the health-related goals.

Will focus on cancer and other NCDs undermine efforts for HIV-AIDS and infectious diseases control, maternal health and other priorities? NCD prevention and control advocates will tell you that if development efforts are to succeed, they must address all diseases that trap households in cycles of illness and poverty.

For example, TB epidemic control is made difficult by coexisting epidemics of HIV and NCDs. Tobacco use, a leading cause of NCDs, is a big risk factor in the spread of TB. NCDs and infectious diseases are a double burden.

Interventions for NCDs will not undermine other global health goals. They will, in fact, contribute towards the MDG goals. Controlling NCDs can help reduce poverty and promote gender equality and child health. Reducing adult death rates and disability reduces poverty and promotes economic growth.

Preventing NCDs diminishes the overall burden on health services. But this implies strengthening of health systems under strong leadership. Governments must invest in cancer and NCD control, through health literacy, technology and delivery of services.

So, although this historic UN summit on NCDs is for heads of state/government (with some representatives of NGOs, academia and the private sector in attendance), it is important that those of us on the ground keep watch and stay informed. Summits such as this hold the key in shaping priorities and mobilizing coordinated global action plans.

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The 3rd “Silver Linings,” an educational forum and homecoming for breast cancer survivors and their circle of support, will be held at the Grand Regal Hotel in Davao City on Sept. 17, Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It is organized by icanserve, “a sisterhood like no other.” Registration fee is only P100 and includes meals. I hope to meet women from the rural sectors who will be there, and listen to their stories.

Send feedback to cerespd@gmail.com or www.ceresdoyo.com.

A mother's call on World Suicide Prevention Day

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

Joy and hope. She wears them like the bright silk shawls that she fashions from nature’s looms. These, Jean Margaret “Jeannie” Lim Goulbourn continue to weave into the fabric of her life and those of others even after a loss that tore into her heart.

Instead of dwelling in the abyss of sorrow, Jeannie, noted fashion designer (Silk Cocoon), entrepreneur, former model and wellness advocate, decided to put meaning into her daughter’s life and death. By doing so, she hopes to help those on the verge of a similar tragedy and prevent the loss of precious lives. In 2007, she put up the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation (NGF) in memory of a daughter whose death was caused by depression.

The whole day tomorrow, World Suicide Prevention Day, NGF will hold various activities. Early in the morning a “fit and fun walk,” and at 9 a.m., a lecture at the University of the Philippines. The open-air activities begin at 2 p.m. at Liwasang Aurora in the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City. There will be booths to stress the theme of “Rediscovering Oneself” as a path to healing from depression.

QC is the sponsor city this second time around, with Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte pledging to make the city a hub of mental wellness. Three government agencies –the Departments of Health, Social Welfare and Development, and Education –have pledged support for the advocacy.

Capping the day and to remember loved ones lost to suicide and depression is a solemn candlelight memorial walk around the Quezon Memorial Circle. Pangasinan Rep. Gina de Venecia will lead the participants. After she lost a daughter in a fire several Christmases ago, De Venecia put up Ina Foundation to help “orphaned” parents.

The candlelight walk will be followed by a free concert featuring several artists, among them, 8Track, Q-York and Morisette Amon.

“Bringing Depression to Light” is the goal of NGF’s advocacy. NGF advocates the treatment of depression through holistic means. Lifestyle change, good nutrition and a healthy support system help keep depression at bay.

An NGF poster shows a smiling young lady holding a dog. On the upper part where her eyes and forehead should be are the words: cum laude, accomplished pianist, fiction writer, volunteer, loves to cook, animal lover, committed to the environment, fun girlfriend, good daughter, dear sister, supportive friend, secretive, chronic depressive, committed suicide in 2005.

Jeannie, the NGF president, points out, “Depression knows no age, social class or gender. It can affect anybody. However, this mental illness is highly treatable and preventable.”

But awareness is key. Persons who suffer from depression need not feel they are alone while they cope with their mental condition.

So, tomorrow they and their circle of support (if any) should attend the gathering and discover ways of coping, find hands that reach out and meet kindred spirits who have overcome. Several schools – University of the Philippines, Miriam College, Ateneo and De la Salle – will provide free services and exhibit booths.

I am not a depressive, but I have friends who were/are and it is not easy to fathom the episodes of darkness that they go through. One friend killed herself six months ago by jumping from the 19th floor of a posh apartment building. I had dreaded the day it would happen, and one day she decided to end it all.

Another friend, a concert pianist, continues to cope in her own brave way. Several years ago she decided to come out in the open in the hope of shedding light on the condition and I was there to write her story. She will be at the gathering.

When Jeannie asked me if I could help her in her advocacy, I said yes. Last year I wrote a Sunday Inquirer Magazine article (“Weaving Meaning into Loss,” 10/30/2010) on her memories of Natasha and her reflections on the tragedy that visited her family. Jeannie and her Canadian husband Sydney have two daughters: Katrina and Natasha. Natasha died in 2002.

At the time of her death, Natasha had just finished working with an international fashion company in Hong Kong and was going into her own product line. There was a lot going for her. Her international education and travels had exposed her to enriching opportunities. She had a very supportive family. “She and her sister Katrina were very close,” Jeannie recalled. “They were like twins.”

Jeannie described Natasha as happy, gregarious and friendly. “Then I observed how her personality changed. We had her see a psychiatrist who gave her anti-depressants. She did tell us that there was something about the medication, that she felt funny and lightheaded. Her perception of reality changed. She had mood swings, she avoided crowds.” Those were warning signs. Three months later, Natasha was gone.

NGF aims “to share with the world the need for education and information on depression – what it is, what causes it, how to manage it and how to heal from it.” Depression can be treated and those afflicted must seek the correct help. Suicide, NGF stresses, should not be an option. (Visit www.ngf-hope.org or call 8972217.)

Jeannie’s wish list: For the DSWD to set up counseling rooms for depressives. For the DepEd to conduct seminars for teachers on how to spot depression. For the DOH to look at the “one suicide each day” statistic in the Philippines. For schools, hospitals and churches to put up informative posters on depression.

Jeannie’s thoughts constantly turn to Natasha’s passing. “My faith was shaken. This girl had a lot of dreams for the poor, the sick and the aged. How could we allow these to go to waste? But there is a reason for everything. Natasha was really on loan to us, and she had a purpose.”

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