Empowering tomorrow’s leaders: Highlights from the LYCESGO Youth Summit 2024

Unified by a collective goal: to inspire and cultivate the next generation of leaders.

BY MB LIFESTYLE

  

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On May 11, 2024, the highest central student government of LPU Cavite, LYCESGO, hosted the highly anticipated LYCESGO Youth Summit 2024 at the university auditorium. The event gathered students from various schools across Cavite, unified by a collective goal: to inspire and cultivate the next generation of leaders. This annual summit, a cornerstone event for LPU-C, provided a vital platform for young individuals to embrace leadership roles and drive societal change.

Photo take from LPU Cavite Central Student Government – Lycesgo Facebook Page

Harnessing the potential of young minds to develop a group of future leaders capable of making positive contributions to their communities and the world was the overarching goal of the inclusive LYCESGO Youth Summit. The summit was centered on giving participants the inspiration and abilities necessary to lead, acknowledging the critical role that youth play in creating a better future.

The summit featured a series of engaging talks by distinguished guest speakers, each bringing their unique perspectives on leadership and personal growth:

 Val Patrick P. Dela Rea talked about “Resilience and Adversity: Stories of young leaders who have overcome adversityand how resilience plays a role in leadership”

The first talk was about “Resilience and Adversity: Stories of Young Leaders.” Val Patrick P. Dela Rea captivated the audience with powerful stories of young leaders who have triumphed over adversity. His emphasis on resilience as a cornerstone of effective leadership resonated deeply, offering valuable lessons for aspiring leaders.

Marianne Dimaculangan-Beatriz talked about “Youth Leadership Development: Strategies and Programs for NurturingLeadership Skills Among Youth Individuals”

Marianne Dimaculangan-Beatriz, the next speaker, was assigned to the topic, Youth Leadership Development: Strategies and Programs for Nurturing Leadership Skills Among Young Individuals. She had spoken about doable tactics and initiatives designed to help young people gain leadership abilities. Her talk provided practical insights that emphasized the value of organized leadership development and training.

Vincent Cortiñas talked about “Taking the Lead at the Lykeion”

Lastly, the talk was all about “Taking the Lead at the Lykeion.” Vincent Cortiñas presented an insightful overview of the Lyceum of the Philippines University. Highlighting the history or background of LPU's founder, diverse course offerings, advanced facilities, scholarship programs, awards, and accreditations, he provided a comprehensive introduction to what makes LPU a premier choice for higher education.

But the goals of the summit went beyond just informative talks. It aimed to: 

Motivate and Inspire: The guest speakers' experiences served as invaluable lessons, lighting a fire in aspiring leaders like us.

Promote Diversity and Inclusion: We believe leadership roles and decisions should be a reflection of our diverse community. The summit encouraged inclusivity in leadership.

#ChooseLPUCavite: The event aimed to introduce LPU's strengths and offerings to students who may not be familiar with what we have to offer. Hopefully, many will be convinced to join the LPU Cavite family!

Student Leader Snowball Effect: By marketing LPU to student leaders, we created a network of individuals who will share their learnings and experiences with their peers, multiplying the impact of the summit.

The LYCESGO Youth Summit 2024 was a huge success. All felt inspired, in control, and prepared to assume leadership positions after the event. It is now our moment to take charge, seize the opportunities, and transform into the change we wish to see in the world. Stay tuned, Lyceans, because the future of leadership starts with us!

#ChooseLPUCavite #ReadyLycesGO #LYCESGOYouthSummit2024 #LYCESGO

Vivamax goes German

BY MANILA BULLETIN ENTERTAINMENT

Jul 3, 2024 10:03 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Launched in January 2021, Vivamax is now the largest and the fastest-growing video-on-demand service in the Philippines.

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Vic del Rosario, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Viva Communications, Simon Bausch, media head of Bausch Germany, Sarah Bernales, director Bobby Bonifacio, director Lino Cayetano and Vincen

Great news for German-speaking movie fans in Germany and other countries. Vivamax, with its famous film catalog, is now available in German.

Mother company Viva Communications, Inc., has licensed several Vivamax for distribution in Europe to the Busch Media Group GMBH Co. KG. Territories covered in the deal are Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Alto Adige.

The Busch Media Group is a well-established film producer and distributor known for its vast and varied international portfolio that ranges from indie features to acclaimed documentaries. 

“We are very happy about this development for Vivamax,” says Viva Communications president and chief operating officer Vincent del Rosario. “We are very proud that the hard work of the talented
artists behind the films of Vivamax are now getting international exposure.”

Among the titles now available are Scorpio Nights 3 starring Christine Bermas and directed by Lawrence Fajardo; Virgin Forest starring Sid Lucero and Angeli Khang and directed by Brilliante
Mendoza; Call Me Alma starring Jaclyn Jose and Azi Acosta and directed by MacArthur Alejandre; Selina’s Gold starring Jay Manalo and Angeli Khang and also directed by Alejandre; plus Tahan, Ganti-Ganti; Salawahan, Suki, Lagaslas, Tag-init, Patikim-tikim, Katas, The Influencer and Palitan among others. These will be shown by Busch in the original language with German subtitles.

Launched in January 2021, Vivamax is now the largest and the fastest-growing video-on-demand service in the Philippines. Vivamax easily gained loyal patronage and created impressive traction with a steady schedule of releasing one new original title weekly and one new series every two weeks. 

Aside from content from its vast and varied library of over 2000 classics from Viva Films and acquired titles, this is aside from content. 

Vivamax subscribers now number 11 million in the Philippines. It is also available in the Middle East, North America, Japan, and other Asian countries.

How do I pass Goethe Institute's B1 German level, and how do I come to enjoy and learn German more quickly?

Setareh Fhk

traveler of the World, learner

Originally Answered: How do I pass Goethe Institut's B1 German level? And how to enjoy and learn German faster?

Don to worry! Here some tips that might come in handy.

First i should say,getting through ZD or b1 exam or any other exam for that matter, has more to do with learning the techniques, than your actual knowledge of the language. (i guess that is good news for you!)
Having said that, i won't suggest to you,to write the exam before you have completed b1.1 at least(if you are studying Menschen books.)

There are 4 sections in ZD exam

1.hören: this part is probably the hardest part, i suggest you change your Playlist,replace all your Music with german hören at least for a month,you can use german radio or buffet website(very useful.) It does wonders for your pronunciations and prevents you from the Shock you might get on exam sessions (Germans normally speak very fast, it's hard to follow with a native even if you have very good comprehension of all the words!) First try to differentiate the words, then try to understand one sentence at the time(verb, ,prepositions,akk, dativ,...) the last level is try to hold the grasp of the main points in a conversation or dialog. (Even if you don't know all the words)

2.Schreiben and sprechen: the easiest parts in my idea, for this part you just need to memorize Redmittel, half of your work is done! Esp in schreiben. you can easily find them from your books, you don't need anything more! In schreiben with a little preparation you can easily score 80.

Lesen: can be tricky. But still if you know the techniques, you will be surprised how easily you can score in this part! Getting through this part is highly dependent on your ability to grasp the full concept. and practice!!!!!

Don't worry it's going to damn easy, just try to enjoy learning Deutsch!

In any case i suggest you practice with these three books before writing the exam, each book contains module tests, which gives you a sense of what to expect, in a real exam.start with yellow one, then green and then red (i didn't have any photos of the red book, i will add it later.)

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p.s you can take up preparation courses, which are offered by Goethe Institut, they are very useful.

I wish you all the best on your journey!

Sandara Park, actor Jung Il-woo visit Bohol; talk about love, flirting, hardships

BY JONATHAN HICAP

Jul 1, 2024 06:30 PM

  

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Sandara Park brought Korean actor Jung Il-woo to Bohol in the Philippines and talked about love, flirting, hardships and their first trip together. 

The two traveled to the country in the last episode of Sandara’s "Dara Tour" season 1 show on her YouTube channel Dara TV, which has 1.51 million subscribers. 

Sandara and Jung Il-woo have been friends for 16 years, which started through the filming of the 2009 drama “The Return of Iljimae.” 

Korean actor Jung Il-woo and Sandara Park on their flight to the Philippines (Instagram) 

Korean actor Jung Il-woo and Sandara Park in Bohol (Instagram) 

Sandara Park in Bohol (X) 

Jung Il-woo putting a kalachuchi flower behind Sandara Park's ear (Screenshot from Dara TV video on YouTube)

Jung Il-woo teaching Sandara Park how to swim in Bohol (Screenshot from Dara TV video on YouTube) 

Jung Il-woo was the main lead of the drama and Sandara made a special appearance. 

The 36-year-old actor also starred in the dramas “Moon Embracing the Sun,”  “Haechi,” “Cinderella with Four Knights” and “Good Job.” 

“The Return of  Iljimae” was the start of their friendship. The Bohol trip was also special for Jung Il-woo as it was his first ever visit to the Philippines. 

“Didn’t expect to travel with a guy friend,” said Sandara as she met Jung Il-woo at Incheon International Airport for their flight to the Philippines. 

He said, “I'm excited about my first trip to the Philippines and happy to be with Dara Tour.”

As they arrived at Bohol Panglao International Airport, a Filipino band was playing. 

Sandara said she always feels Filipinos’ cheerful and positive attitude when she visits the country. 

“I always feel it when I'm in the Philippines. ENFPs [extroverted, intuitive, feeling and perceiving] and their positive energy,” she said. 

In 2021, Jung Il-woo cooked sinigang and kaldereta for Sandara on his YouTube channel, saying,  “I also looked everywhere up for ‘the favorite Filipino menus of Dara.’”

In Bohol, Jung Il-woo said, “It's her first trip with a guy friend. Although she knows so many people she invited me so I was thankful.”

Sandara is three years older than Jung Il-woo but he speaks to her casually because they have been friends for so long. 

During the filming of “The Return of  Iljimae,” he said, “When I first saw her, I thought she was younger. She looked so young. And that was before 2NE1 even debuted. She guest-appeared in an episode and that's when we made a connection that has lasted to this day. Please don't misunderstand. We were really young when we became friends so I speak casually.”

She said during the filming of the drama, Jung Il-woo took care of her. 

“I only had a small role. He never cared about that and took care of me. Even my staff. I was a trainee. Il-woo invited my manager and make-up staff. He treated us to such an expensive meal,” she remembered. 

They took the Loboc River Cruise and had a sumptuous meal. 

Love, flirting 

After this, they went to the hotel and had drinks by the pool. 

They had deep conversations about their friendship, love, flirting, careers and 2NE1. 

Jung Il-woo gave Sandara a towel to cover her legs and was touched by the gesture. 

“I've never been taken care of like this before,” she said. 

He then picked a kalachuchi flower and put it behind her ear. 

“You're prettier than a flower but,” he said. 

The staff asked them how they flirt. 

“I've known you for 16 years now. I don't think we've ever talked about dating,” he said. 

About flirting, he said, “Instead of calling it a flirt, when I like someone, I just go straight for it.” 

Sandara agreed, saying, “I also say it if I like someone and go straight. I hate playing hard to get.” 

“Did you date a lot when you were younger?” she asked him and he replied,  I can't say I didn't meet any girls. There was never any news about my relationships.”

When Sandara said, “I've never had any dating rumors either,” he said, “But I heard you had one.” 

He was referring to actor Lee Joon who joined the Dara Tour in the Philippines. 

“I never had a real rumor. I was barely in a relationship at all. You'd be fired for dating as a trainee. I didn't find that hard. Because I loved work more,” she said. 

But now that she is pursuing her solo career, she said, “So I'm like now…I want to look for love. Bye, my 20s-30s.” Sandara is turning 40 on Nov. 12. 

He said heartbreaking relationships make a person mature. 

“I agree. So a heartbreaking love or if you meet a garbage, then you can select the good from the bad,” she said. 

She added, “Anyway, as I've been in relationships and gotten hurt, my ideal type has changed.” 

Sandara said she is now looking for “a nerd boy who only loves me. I think that's the best.”

“I've been thinking about that a lot lately. I've always been a workaholic and work gets done no matter what. But Sandara as a woman...I want to love,” she said. 

About their careers, Jung Il-woo told her, “I admire us both for working hard in our positions.”

“Yeah, I think the hardest thing is to stay active for a long time. The longer you do it, the more people trust you,” said Dara. 

“Now the only thing I want is to be a good actor,” he said. 

For Sandara, she said, “I just want to enjoy together in the stage with my fans. And if I have one goal…being on stage with the girls [2NE1 members] again.”

In the previous episode of "Dara Tour," Sandara Park said she was so sad when she left the Philippines to go back to South Korea. 

Binibining Pilipinas 2024: Seasoned aspirants, national winners try luck

Binibining Pilipinas candidates #30 Trisha Martinez (Pila, Laguna); #39 Flordeliz Mabao (Rizal); #36 Samantha Acosta (Bulacan); #4 Shaira Rona (Mandaluyong); #14 Vienne Feucht (Calamba, Laguna); #26 Phoebe Godinez (Lapu-Lapu City); and, #34 Vera Dickinson (Tarlac). Images from Armin P. Adina

By: Armin P. Adina

The Binibining Pilipinas pageant is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and seasoned aspirants have enlisted for a chance to be included in the elite roster of queens, among them are returnees and those who have already claimed titles in other competitions.

Trisha Martinez from Pila, Laguna, and Shaira Rona from Mandaluyong have returned to give another shot at finally becoming Bb. Pilipinas queens, while Bulacan’s Samantha Acosta has crossed over from the Miss Philippines Earth pageant.

Also joining the national pageant’s milestone edition is Rizal’s Flordeliz Mabao, who was crowned Miss Scuba Philippines in 2019, and finished third in the 2019 Miss Scuba international pageant. Tarlac’s Vera Dickinson, meanwhile, was second runner-up in the 2022 Miss Aura Philippines pageant.

Representing Lapu-Lapu City in the 2024 Bb. Pilipinas pageant is 2022 Hiyas ng Pilipinas Tourism Queen International Phoebe Godinez, while Calamba, Laguna, is fielding 2023 Miss Rotary and 2021 Miss Bikini Philippines first runner-up Vienne Feucht.

Martinez has some unfinished business to settle. She was already supposed to represent the country in an international competition after earning the Miss Philippines Tourism crown in the 2021 Miss World Philippines pageant, but her global tilt did not push through. She inched closer to another opportunity to raise the Philippine flag abroad when she cracked the Top 11 in the 2023 Bb. Pilipinas pageant, where she was also “Best in Evening Gown.”

“All beauty queens dream of representing the Philippines internationally. So that’s why I’m here. I’m trying my luck. I’m trying, hoping I’d be destined to be able to represent the Philippines in an international stage,” she told INQUIRER.net in an interview.

For Mabao, Binibining Pilipinas is the reason she got into pageantry in the first place. “Ten years ago, before my mother passed because of breast cancer, she told me that she wanted me to join Bb. Pilipinas. So that’s why I started joining beauty pageants. And finally, here, after 10 years, I’m in Bb. Pilipinas,” she said.

Acosta, meanwhile, said she resonated with the national pageant’s thrust. “I’ve always had the heart towards children, and I’m very much happy that BPCI’s (Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc.) vision is the same as my advocacy, Harvesting HOPE (Helping Others Pursue Empowerment). And I’m really looking forward to more of our charity events with Binibini,” she said.

Two winners will be crowned and will be proclaimed Bb. Pilipinas International and Bb. Pilipinas Globe, and they will take home P1 million each, and earn the right to represent the Philippines in the 63rd Miss International pageant next year, and The Miss Globe 2024 contest later this year.

The 60th Binibining Pilipinas Grand Coronation Night will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at the Araneta City in Quezon City on July 7, Sunday. Phenomenal P-Pop boy group SB19 will return to the pageant stage, with Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano also set to perform.

And like in the last three editions, an all-female hosting team will handle the ceremonies this year, and will be composed of 2014 Bb. Pilipinas Universe MJ Lastimosa, 2016 Miss Grand International first runner-up Nicole Cordoves, 2016 Miss International Kylie Verzosa, and 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray.

The four Binibining Pilipinas queens will also be joined by more than a hundred of their Binibini sisters for a grand reunion of queens on stage, the magnitude never before seen on any pageant here or anywhere else.

WORRYING WOULD NEVER HELP!

Some feelings of worry can be healthy, pushing us to find solutions to real and present problems. However, chronic worry, even about things out of our control, can severely impact our mental health.

The German poet Rainer Maria Rilke put it well: “Life is not even close to being as logically consistent as our worries; it has many more unexpected ideas and many more facts than we do.” Worrying is pointless not only because it rarely makes things better, but also because you're rarely ever worried about the right thing!

We hardly count our blessings. We enjoy counting our crosses. Instead of gains, we count our losses. We don't have to do all that counting - computers do it for us. Information is easily had.

Facebook to and fro, back and forth, there and back - how many posts and comments have been posted already with sadness, loneliness, boredom strikes, problems, worries ... .

Just remember this: Opportunity doesn't just knock - it jiggles the door-knob. and "your social media online-friend" - the warrior is with you day and night, at every corner, following your every step. Complaining and grumbling are good excuses, right?

Seniors may experience more anxiety-inducing situations than younger adults, and they may not have as many resources for support. Some people may notice that their anxious thoughts get stronger or more frequent with age, but anxiety is a treatable mental health disorder.

Is social media bad for us? Four billion people, around 50% of the world’s population, use online social media – and we’re spending an average of two hours every day sharing, liking, tweeting and updating on these platforms, according to some reports. That breaks down to around half a million tweets and Snapchat photos shared every minute. Stress, mood, anxiety, depression, sleep (or better non-sleep), self-esteem - Overall, social media’s effects on well-being are ambiguous, according to a paper written last year by researchers from the Netherlands. However, they suggested there is clearer evidence for the impact on one group of people: social media has a more negative effect on the well-being of those who are more socially isolated.

The whole world is an awful place filled with dreadful and horrible negativism. Yes, I confess, I'm also surrounded by many worriers who put their fears into me. Politicians, i.e., many times love to search for some grave alarm that will cause individuals to abandon their separate concerns and act in concert, so that politicians can wield the baton. Calls to fatal struggles and fights are forever being sounded.

The overbearing person, who tyrannizes the weak, who wants to domineer and to bluster, is simply nothing else than a worrier, who claims to be a friend. But he isn't. Really not! The bullying of fellow citizens by means of dread and fright has been going on since Paleolithic times. The night wolf is eating the moon. Give me silver and I'll make him spit out.

Well, when will we start counting our courage and not our fears, or enjoy instead of our woe? Worrying itself is pointless.Of course, no society has achieved perfect rules of law, never-ending education or unique responsible governments. Let's seek out the worries but avoid the warriors, because they try to avoid liberty.

Worry, that sense of insecurity, unease, and fear over what negative events may happen – as unrealistic as these concerns may be – is one of the most unpleasant emotions that you can experience as a human being. It is also one of the most common. While everyone has worried at some point, many people suffer from chronic worrying in the form of anxiety. In Australia alone, 2 million people will suffer from anxiety in any one year.

If you worry often, you’re far from alone. In fact, it may comfort you to know that many of us tend to worry about the same issues. All of those anxieties and stressors that may plague your life also affect a huge chunk of the rest of the world as well.

Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D., is a practicing psychologist, author, speaker, and life/business coach, with more than 20 years of experience as a clinician, professor, and researcher. She says:" One of the most helpful things you can do instead of worrying is problem-solving. Problem-solving means defining the problem in a way that you can do something about it (e.g., "How do I prepare for a possible loss of income?" or "How can I learn to accept that my ex has moved on?"). Once you have a defined problem, you can generate some possible solutions and think through the likely consequences of each (e.g., "What is most likely to happen if I do X?"). Finally, you can implement your favorite solution, whether it involves taking action, discussing the situation, finding out more information, or working to accept something you cannot change".

If you are still worrying right now about something, try to read Jeremiah 29:10-14 or Revelation 21:1-8, just to mention these two. It works.

Faith should guide us in our trials

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THAT’S what we can get from the gospel episode of Christ’s disciples buffeted by big waves in the middle of the sea and Christ was just asleep. (cfr. Mt 8,23-27) “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” the disciples woke Christ in terror. But Christ reproached them. “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” he said. Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm, leaving the disciples completely amazed.

In life, we cannot avoid some special or extraordinary storms of trials and challenges. We, of course, should first go to Christ, and instead of being overly terrified or overwhelmed, we should strengthen our faith in the omnipotent providence of God who takes care of everything and who knows how to derive good from whatever evil we can encounter in life. (cfr. Rom 8,28)

We need to realize that our life always has more to offer to us than what we can understand, let alone, cope. In the face of all this, I believe the attitude to have and the reaction to make is to be calm, pray hard, and while we do all we can, we have to learn to live a certain sense of abandonment in the hands of God.

In this life, we need to develop a sportsman’s attitude, since life is like a game. Yes, life is like a game, because we set out to pursue a goal, we have to follow certain rules, we are given some means, tools and instruments, we train and are primed to win and do our best, but defeats can always come, and yet, we just have to move on.

It would be unsportsmanlike if we allow ourselves to get stuck with our defeats and failures, developing a loser’s mentality. That would be the epic fail that puts a period and a finis in an ongoing narrative, when a comma, a colon or a semicolon would have sufficed.

We need a sporting spirit because life’s true failure can come only when we choose not to have hope. That happens when our vision and understanding of things is narrow and limited, confined only to the here and now and ignorant of the transcendent reality of the spiritual and supernatural world.

This should be the attitude to have. It’s an attitude that can only indicate our unconditional faith and love for God who is always in control of things, and at the same time can also leave us in peace and joy even in the worst of the possibilities.

We have to follow the example of the many characters in the gospel who, feeling helpless in the many predicaments they were in, earnestly rushed to Christ for some succor. They went to him unafraid and unashamed and they got what they wanted.

We have to be sport and adventurous in facing the different conditions of our life. And it would greatly help if we too can have an abiding sense of humor. Otherwise, we would just fall into states of sadness, pessimism and despair which actually are unnecessary and are avoidable.

This we can do if first of all we have a strong and deep faith in God, our Creator and Father. If we have that faith, we know that God holds everything in order through his providence. He takes care of everything, irrespective of how things go. Ours is simply to relate everything to him and to go back to him everytime we go astray, especially at the end of the day.

Documents and briefers

PHOTO RELEASE CAPTION

July 1, 2024

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano shares a glimpse of the documents and briefers submitted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) ahead of Wednesday's hearing on the new Senate Building (NSB). In a Facebook update on Monday, July 1, 2024, Cayetano, the Senate Committee on Accounts chair wrote that he “will be busy reading” these documents to prepare for the upcoming hearing about the project. This follows after the senator set a deadline to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan last Friday to submit and give the committee time to review the materials thoroughly before the hearing on Wednesday, July 3. ###

 

 

 

 

Tagalog:

 

Ipinakita ni Senador Alan Peter Cayetano ang natanggap na mga dokumento at briefer mula sa Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) bago ang itinakdang pagdinig sa Miyerkules tungkol sa New Senate Building (NSB). Sa kanyang Facebook post nitong Lunes, ibinahagi ni Cayetano, na Chair ng Senate Committee on Accounts, na masusi niyang babasahin at pag-aaralan ang mga dokumento bilang paghahanda sa pagdinig. Ito ay matapos bigyan ng deadline ng komite si DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan na isumite ang mga dokumento upang mabigyan sila ng sapat na panahon para suriin ang mga materyales bago ang pagdinig sa Miyerkules, July 3.###

 

 

Facebook link post: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1091087345707899&id=100044199320970&rdid=O0O4cGXv50F0v7hr

You will need to be wealthy to be healthy

By: Moira G. Gallaga - @inquirerdotnet

I flew in to the Philippines more than two months ago to attend to some family business matters. Two weeks into my stay, I experienced frequent bouts of nausea, fatigue, an outbreak of rashes and blemishes on my skin, vomiting, and difficulty keeping down food. As I have autoimmune and gastrointestinal issues, it appears that these symptoms were being triggered all at once.

Then, just a little over a week prior to my scheduled departure back to Sweden, I fainted and dropped to the floor. I was out very briefly. This has happened to me before, the most recent being in February this year. As soon as I could, I went to the emergency room of a private hospital to get myself checked.

My three-day hospital confinement made me think about and raise questions related to the health-care system in the Philippines. First of all, I wish to point out that we have very good and capable medical professionals and staff, and a number of both public and private hospitals are, likewise, of good quality. While there continues to be significant gaps and issues concerning the health-care system and services in the Philippines, there has been growing improvement over the years. The passage of the Universal Health Care Act in 2019 has strengthened PhilHealth’s ability to provide better coverage as the country’s public health insurance provider. Efforts are also underway to pass additional public health-care-related laws to further improve the situation, though these are currently facing funding challenges.

Given that quality health-care services and treatment are available in the Philippines, what came to my mind, in light of my hospitalization, is access to them. Perhaps, in terms of preventive and primary care and services, there are more options and opportunities for access, especially in cities and large towns. What I would like to focus on though are cases involving serious and life-threatening diseases or injuries that require highly specialized treatment and facilities. In this situation, the options are mostly narrowed down to private hospitals, access to which will be significantly hampered by the costs involved.

I am fortunate that, in addition to my PhilHealth, I also have private medical insurance coverage. As of 2019, there are around four million Filipinos with access to health maintenance organizations, 90 percent of which are under corporate plans. Then again, not all medical insurance policies are the same. The better and more comprehensive the coverage with higher benefit limits and lower out-of-pocket expense and deductibles, the higher the premium. If you work for a company that provides a generous health-care package, then good for you. Then again, even if the policy isn’t that comprehensive, it is far better than having none at all.

Furthermore, while 90 percent of the population is reported to be registered with PhilHealth, a study has shown that Filipinos still shoulder 34 to 44.7 percent of out-of-pocket expenses even as members of this state health insurer. So just imagine what patients and their family go through if they don’t have any insurance coverage at all.

Aside from worrying about the effects of the disease or injury and the outcome of any treatment administered, there is the added stress and pressure of scraping up the money to cover the hospital bill, the doctors’ fees, and cost of medication. Even after the money is somehow raised and the treatment is successful, the family will most likely be saddled with considerable debt.

These issues need to be tackled. For many families and individuals, all it takes is for one member to develop a very serious disease or get life-threatening injuries for them to lose everything they’ve saved up for, and get their lives upended. How all these can be effectively addressed, I leave to those who know better about these matters. As they say, “health is wealth,” but given the current state of things, it appears that you will need to be wealthy in order to be healthy.

Moira G. Gallaga served three Philippine presidents as presidential protocol officer, and was posted as a diplomat at the Philippine consulate general in Los Angeles, and the Philippine Embassy in Washington.

Cloudy skies, scattered rains to prevail over parts of Visayas, Mindanao

Two weather systems are expected to bring cloudy and rainy conditions to parts of Visayas and Mindanao in the next 24 hours, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Monday, July 1.