ENRILE: CANCER CONSCIOUSNESS SHOULD BE MORE THAN JUST AN EVENT BUT A WAY OF LIFE

Urges people to participate in campaigns to fight cancer

Senator Manny Villar says that people should not just shrug off disease awareness campaigns as calendar events of certain organizations only, instead as opportunities to focus on programs and projects that can alleviate the suffering of people afflicted with such diseases.

According to Villar, We have gotten used to certain days, weeks or months of the year designated as a date to observe a certain disease, that there is a tendency to just shrug it off or worse ignore it. This is really counterproductive to the purpose of designating those dates as such.

Adds Villar, Lawmakers file bills to designate certain day of the year as awareness day for diseases in order to call the attention of the public and even the government to do something to combat such disease or support its sufferers or victims.

Villar cites cancer as an example of a disease or affliction which is commemorated extensively but remains a serious threat and still requires close attention. Cancer is the number three killer of Filipinos today and over a hundred die from it everyday.

January 17 to 23 is Cancer Consciousness Week. On top of this, there are different dates of observance for specific types of cancer such as for breast cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer, leukemia among others. This is a good time to take action versus cancer before it becomes the number killer of Filipinos, as projected in the next few years.

Villar himself has filed bills related to cancer such as Senate Bill (SB) 116, establishing a program for public education on prostate cancer and SB 2303, establishing an ovarian cancer awareness campaign. Other legislators are seeking the designation of other dates for awareness of prostate cancer, liver cancer and even cancer that affects the retina of the eye called retinoblastoma.

As lawmakers, by filing those bills, we hope to help cancer sufferers and their families. The threat of cancer is real and just about anyone can get stricken by it. in fact, it is estimated that one of every 1,000 Filipinos will get cancer and that 200,000 Filipinos suffer from cancer yearly. Early detection is the key and creating awareness is the first step, further cites Villar.