The Philippines is one of the countries with the highest incidence of breast cancer in
Asia. The country has been in the list for years because the disease continues to affect
a lot of Filipinos, young and old, male and female.
“Breast cancer cannot be prevented but the risk can be lowered by changing our
lifestyle. Despite this, it still affects a lot of people, young and old, male and female
alike. Our best defense is still early detection. This is the goal of our Pink Ribbon
Campaign – to promote breast cancer awareness and early detection,” said Dr. Melanie
T. Cruz, secretary of the Philippine Breast Cancer Society.
Pink Ribbon for Breast Cancer is an annual event held in observance of Breast
Cancer Awareness Month. The opening activity was held at the Event Center of SM City
San Lazaro, and was spearheaded by the Philippine Breast Cancer Society (PBCS)
and SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings, supported
by the Department of Health (DOH).
Attended by hundreds of women, advocates and volunteer doctors, this year’s Pink
Ribbon for Breast Cancer focused on educational talks and sharing of experiences by
breast cancer warriors. DOH cancer program head Dr. Clarito Cairo conducted a talk on
the importance of breast cancer awareness, and at the same time taught women how to
detect and be protected against the risk.
“Every year, the number of patients suffering from breast cancer continues to rise. This
is why we hold the Pink Ribbon for Breast Cancer yearly, to continue educating women
that early detection and early intervention is very important,” said SM Cares Program on
Women & Breastfeeding Program Director Bernadette Velasco.
Celebrity Suzi Entrata-Abrera hosted the event, and inspirational talks from film director
Bibeth Orteza and actress Melissa de Leon, well-known breast cancer survivors, were
featured. Free clinical breast examination was also administered by volunteer health
professionals.
Pink Ribbon for Breast Cancer was also held at the event center of SM City
Telabastagan.
The Philippine Breast Cancer Society, founded in 2009, is a medical organization
dedicated solely to the management of breast cancer. Its members are made up of
doctors under different specialties who are kept up-to-date on breast cancer
management through annual Breast Cancer Symposium.
SM Cares aimed at supporting the communities where its malls are present. Other SM
Cares initiatives for women include institutionalizing breastfeeding stations across all
SM Supermalls nationwide as part of its program to provide breastfeeding mothers the
convenience and privacy in nourishing their babies. Last August, SM Cares Program on
Women supported Breastfeeding Pinays and DOH in the annual celebration of “Hakab
Na!” in observance of Breastfeeding Awareness Month.
