February 23, 2012

It’s More Fun in CBSi: The Cebu Bloggers Society’s 4th Anniversary Celebration

February 3, 2012 By 5 Comments

“Individually, we are a drop.  Together, we are an ocean.” ~ Ryunosuke Satoro

There is only one blogging group in Cebu that continues to thrive in reshaping the online publishing norm in the locality, and introduces a new form of media to the locales, bringing citizen journalism and independent online publishing to the next level.  Cebu Bloggers Society, Inc. empowers the common people to know their rights and capabilities toward information dissemination which also changes the way they consume them.

A Simple and Fun Dinner for CBSi’s 4th Year of Promoting Cebu

Cebu Bloggers Society Inc. will be celebrating its 4th anniversary on February 11, 2012 at Azkals Sports Bar and Grill.  This dinner celebration is a get-together party among old members and new ones.

CBSi has grown from a mere bloggers’ group to an incorporation headed by leaders who organized huge social media events like Visayas Blogging Summit and online celebrations like World Bloggers’ Day.

In its 4th year, CBSi is still true to its commitment to the Queen City of the South – promoting the Cebuano culture and the city’s diversities both offline and online.

In lieu with this year’s theme – It’s More Fun in CBSi, the organization aims to bring more fun to its members by creating events and activities that would benefit them as bloggers and as individuals.

Fun and Bonding through the Years

Since CBSi’s creation four years ago, there have been countless testimonials from members published on their blogs on how great and fun it was spending time and working with the growing CBSi family.

From attending the US Election Watch on 2008, being interviewed in radio and TV shows, to organizing and doing outreach activities like helping the poor fire victims through gift giving and staging a mini-concert, teaching students in mountainous areas on how to use a computer to feeding the less fortunate and abandoned elders and children.  It’s always more fun and heartwarming doing all these activities with the CBSi family.

“Cebu Bloggers Society Inc. is more than an organization for me, it is a family of different kinds of people but of the same bloodline, blogging. In CBSi, we don’t see each other as competitors, instead as brothers and  sisters who might need help in their corresponding fields or who can help the family (organization) grow into a more organize and respectable blogging institution. As a founder, I am so blessed that CBSi has gained such name and is patrionized by members who make working in the group more fun and enjoyable.”, stated Mark M. Monta, Founder of Cebu Bloggers Society, Inc.

Aside from outreach activities, and fun-filled events by invitations, CBSi has also organized various events that tighten the bond between its members like the Wild CBSi Camp Out in Busay, World Bloggers’ Day Offline Celebration here in Cebu, the CBSi 2010 Election Coverage, the Filipino Blogosphere and Political Participation Forum, and most recently the 2nd Visayas Blogging Summit, one of the largest social media summits in the country.

CBSi, along with its current set of leaders and active roster of new and old members, will be more visible in Cebu’s online scene, rocking 2012 and the blogosphere, enjoying one another’s company while having more fun and glam.

Cebu Bloggers Will be Checking In at Azkals Sports Bar and Grill

Azkals Sports Bar and Grill’s foursquare map on February 11 will surely be filled with black dots as members of CBSi would simultaneously check in for their 4th anniversary dinner celebration.  The whole CBSi gang would surely love to fill their foursquare page with fun photos and comments.

Visit Cebu’s newest and coolest hang out place at Treehouse Bldg, Ramon Aboitiz St, Cebu City. (right next to backgate of St.Theresa’s College). They are open Mondays through Thursdays at 4PM – 1AM and Fridays to Saturdays at 4PM to 3AM.  For reservation contact them through these numbers: +639153433251 / +63 32 2391967, or email them at azkalssportsbarandgrill@gmail.com.

Visit their Facebook Fanpage here.

Filed Under: Featured, Society Tagged With: ,

Prayer is best way to celebrate Sinulog

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Feast of Sto. Niño on Jan. 15 is full of festive food, overflowing drinks, and street parties. But nothing beats a solemn prayer to celebrate the day, according to two Sto. Niño devotees.

Gloria Enclonar, who has been a devotee since she was 19 years old, said that beyond the food and the dances, people must remember prayer as still the best way to thank the Holy Child.

“Prayer is still the best gift for Sto. Niño and the best way to celebrate. For me, I would complete the novena masses every year even under threats of a storm,” she said in Cebuano during the Pagtuki episode last Saturday.

Pagtuki is the radio program of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), which airs every Saturday, 10-11 a.m. at dyLA.

Enclonar said that she personally experienced the miracle of the baby Jesus when she was 35 years old. The doctor had informed her of her difficulty to get pregnant. A believer in the power of prayer, Enclonar asked Sto. Niño to grant them even just one child.

Now, she and her husband are raising their three biological children.

For Julia Maru, another Pagtuki guest who has been battling breast cancer for three years, the miracle of Sto. Niño is manifested through the love and support of her family.

She continues to encourage her three sons to celebrate the Sinulog by attending the novena masses.

“My Sinulog will be complete when I attend mass and give thanks to Sto. Niño. For me, prayer is most important of all our Sinulog activities,” she said in Cebuano.

Karl Damayo, exhibitions and museum collections officer of the Casa Gorodo Museum of RAFI, said that Sinulog is really intended for giving thanks to Sto. Niño.

“The Vatican acknowledges the Sinulog as a prayer through a dance. There are only two dancing prayers recognized by the Vatican. The other one is in Spain,” he said.

Filed Under: Arts and Culture, Festivals, Society

RAFI Micro-finance outstanding client gives business advice to nanays

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Have a vision for your business. Be determined to achieve it.

These were the words of advice of Elvira Pantaleon, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Micro-finance 2011 Most Outstanding Client, to the 3,289 women clients who attended the RAFI Micro-finance 8th General Assembly held at the University of San Carlos gymnasium last Dec. 3, 2011.

In her acceptance speech, Pantaleon told the 3,289 women clients (inset) present during the RAFI Micro-finance 8th General Assembly last Dec. 3 to have a vision for their businesses and to persevere amid challenges.

“Don’t waste your time. Persevere and work hard for your business because it can provide a bright future for your families. Be patient,” she said during her acceptance speech.

She added that micro-entrepreneurs should be hands-on when it comes to managing their businesses and should learn from the challenges they encounter everyday while dealing with their employees and customers. This way, their ventures will be improved and their skills enhanced.

Pantaleon received Php 25,000 cash prize and a plaque, which were conferred by RAFI Chief Operating Officer Dominica B. Chua, Mercantile Insurance Micro-insurance Department Manager Jose Ma. J. Dadivas, and RAFI Micro-finance Executive Director Ma. Theresa G. Catipay during the General Assembly program.

The RAFI Micro-finance 8th General Assembly, which was attended by clients from various branches in Cebu, Bohol, and Leyte, also gave out awards to the Best Chairwoman, Best Secretary, Best Group, and Best Center Meeting Place.

Special awards were handed out to clients with the highest amount of savings, to one client with the highest referral of new members, to the loyal client with zero defaults, and to the most active Client Advisory Board (CAB).

An award was given to Virgilia Bonghanoy who made it to the semi-finals for the Citi Microentrepreneur of the Year Award for 2011.

Agnes Lacson, chief operating officer of City Savings Bank, was the keynote speaker. She pointed out three ingredients to becoming a successful micro-entrepreneur—vision, determination, and hard work.

The attendees were entertained by the talents displayed by the clients during the Nanays Got Talent contest as well as dance numbers and comical skits of the Buzy Buddies.

The sidelights of the General Assembly included trade fair where various products from the different towns in Cebu were showcased; medical mission conducted in partnership with RAFI’s Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center, which offered consultations and cervical screening 450 women and children; and a Kid’s Corner where the children of the clients enjoyed a film showing, courtesy of the Dolores Aboitiz Children’s Fund of RAFI.

RAFI Micro-finance is a program under the Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship focus area of RAFI, providing financial resources and know-how to women micro-entrepreneurs to nurture financial independence and entrepreneurship. Its other focus areas are Integrated Development, Culture & Heritage, Leadership & Citizenship, and Education.

For more information on RAFI Micro-finance, please contact 418-7234 loc. 706 and look for Mary Donnavel Libron, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph

For being the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Micro-finance 2011 Most Outstanding Client, Elvira Pantaleon (third from right) receives Php 25,000 cash prize and a plaque, which were conferred by (L-R) RAFI Micro-finance Executive Director Ma. Theresa Catipay, RAFI Human Resources Officer Jeanette Zulueta, Mercantile Insurance Micro-insurance Department Manager Jose Ma. J. Dadivas, RAFI Chief Operating Officer Dominica Chua, and RAFI Micro-finance Bogo Branch Manager Jacob Tanza

Filed Under: Business, Featured Post, Society Tagged With:

Contemporary art exhibit showcases Cebuano talents

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Paintings and sculptures of contemporary Cebuano artists were featured in the art exhibit, dubbed Contemporary Cebu, which opened last Jan. 4 at the Cebu City Museum.

 

The exhibit, which is curated by JV Castro, is designed to bring national attention to contemporary Cebuano artists and their works. It is open to the public until Jan. 31.

 

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, during the opening ceremonies, lauded the initiative undertaken to make the exhibit possible, saying it is a way to recognize Cebuano talents in visual arts as well as to promote the Cebu City Museum.

 

The Alternative Contemporary Art Studio, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), and The Grove by Rockwell, partnered together to launch this annual exhibit. The first exhibit was held in June 2011 in Manila at the Ateneo de Manila University and Picasso Boutique Hotel.

 

This year’s Contemporary Cebu art exhibit features the works of Palmy Pe-Tudtud, Marvin Natural, Kidlat of the Junks Collective, Karl Roque, Sio Montera, Ritchie Quijano, Vidal Alcoseba, and Tito Cuevas. Russ Ligtas will give Butoh performances on Jan. 12 and 13.

 

“It is an exhibition that features some of the finest artists we have in Cebu. All the works in the exhibit are done by Cebuano artists who specialize in contemporary works, meaning the portrayal of subjects are different. In a way, we want to promote Cebu in a different light,” Castro said.

 

Dennis “Sio” Montera, one of the participating artists shared the inspiration and stories behind his paintings.

 

“My art is more on expression of the things that have been relevant in my life—happiness, sadness, loss of loved one, any life experience. For me, the best way I can communicate or deal with my emotions is to paint. It is more likely the reflection of a current situation of my life. It’s like a diary, mirroring what is happening around me,” he said.

 

 

The exhibit’s curator, JV Castro (far left), introduced to the public the participating contemporary artists: (second from L-R) Marvin Chito Natural, Karl Roque Jr., Sio Montera, Tito Cuevas, Palmy Pe-Tudtud, and Ritchie Quijano.

Alternative Contemporary Art Studio and RAFI have been partners since Contemporary Cebu’s inception in 2011. This year, they took in The Grove by Rockwell as a major partner. The other sponsors of the exhibit are the Cebu City Government, Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission of Cebu City, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Blue Shield Risk Management, Gothong Southern, Michelangelo Pizzeria, and Hola España.

“Contemporary Cebu is a good opportunity for introducing the Cebuano audience to contemporary arts and for them to be familiar who the Cebuano contemporary visual artists are,” said Dr. Jocelyn Gerra, executive director of Culture and Heritage of RAFI. (Hannah Reoma/Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. intern)

The Contemporary Cebu art exhibit was formally opened last Jan. 4. The ribbon cutting was led by (L-R, foreground) Amaya Aboitiz, executive director of the Dolores Aboitiz Children’s Fund of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.; Cebu City Councilor Margarita Osmeña, vice-chair of the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission of Cebu City; Massimo La Magna, over-all supervisor of Pizzeria Michelangelo; and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Culture, Featured Post, Press Release, Society Tagged With: , , , , , ,

What awaits Cebu for the year 2012?

January 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

No flyovers but still with inundated streets.

This is the prediction of environmental lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos of Philippine Earth Justice Center Inc. for Cebu in the Year of the Dragon.

Floods in Cebu will continue to get worse in 2012, she said.

“It will be more and it will get worse. I told my kids what a sad future they will have. I don’t encourage them to have kids because they will suffer from the flood,” she said in an interview with Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.’s (RAFI) Pagtuki last December 31. Pagtuki is RAFI’s weekly radio program that airs every Saturday from 10-11 a.m. over dyLA.

Ramos said that the local government units should start updating the land use plan of Cebu to prevent flooding.

If the government won’t heed the call of environmentalists in flood prevention, then the people should take up the cudgel, she said.

“We keep saying that the disasters are wake-up calls for everybody but we cannot just wait for our public officials to act on them. If they won’t act, we should take the initiative to prepare ourselves for disasters,” she explained in Cebuano.

Last January 2011, the cities of Mandaue and Cebu suffered severe flooding in different areas, which prompted Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to clear the houses located within the three-meter easement along the Mahiga Creek.

“We are all disasters waiting to happen. Instead of planting trees, we are planting houses,” Ramos observed.

With these predictions, Ramos said that Cebuanos should be prepared for any disaster. They should be trained with disaster preparedness to build resiliency against typhoons.

Though streets will still be flooded, Cebu will have no new flyovers for 2012, according to Ramos.

“What is my bold prediction? It will not flourish. I don’t think President Aquino will risk his philosophy ‘daang matuwid’,” she said.

The issue of building new flyovers in Cebu has been brought up to President Aquino last year. Results of further studies are still to be released, pending the suspension of the construction of the flyovers.

“If it will pursue, which I doubt, we will go to court. We are going to file criminal cases to the people who approved it. We have the Republic Act 10066, or the National Culture Heritage Act of 2009,” Ramos said, referring to the law that ensures the conservation and preservation of monuments and structures of important heritage value, including structures more than 50 years old.

by: Nancy Cudis

Originally from rafi.org.ph

Filed Under: Featured Post, Society

Cebu blogger becomes campaign ambassador for farmer heroes

October 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Making it into one of the best leadership training in the country was not an easy task. The Young Minds Academy has exposed me to different issues Philippines has been facing and with the theme that revolves around Poverty Alleviation, we are expected to be Architects of Change as the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. molded us to be. The program has also introduced us to a lot of communities and immersing with the people along the way as we design our project proposals and social marketing tracks. To know more about our YMA Season 5 journey read my chronicles at my blog post about I Luv Farmers.
Gathering top student leaders from all over Cebu with ages that span two generations: high school and college, this program has definitely upscaled the worth our youth could do these days to take part in nation building. We are at the last quarter of our training and I am so proud of my team, Team CPMPC to have gone so far the journey, picking up different lessons, changing the way we look at the world, doing community involvement like never before and most especially discovering part of ourselves that we thought never existed.

My team is currently taking part in a wide scale of social marketing and fund raising efforts to promote a farmer empowerment program in Consolacion, Cebu. When I first learned about our assignment, I felt troubled as to how are we going to let people care so much about farmers unlike dealing with organizations in Cebu that addresses poverty in a social way such as child prostitution, trafficking or the like. But then as we convened time and time again after our series of input sessions and seminars, we have devised  a very elaborate scheme to promote our farmers and what better way to gather all the support we need than through making people realize the efforts they are doing. So out of the spirit of volunteerism, we offered more hours than was required from us to do the biggest project our team has made since making our project proposal.
Our social marketing aims to promote Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan program of the Municipality of Consolacion. It is a program that teaches farmers from all over Cebu the latest innovations in fruit and vegetable productions. Because of my work, I could not be there the whole day to be with them but instead entrusted the logistics and coverage to my other teammates while I do most of the legwork for online promotion and art direction.
Our campaign is entitled “iluvfarmers” to make people appreciate the unsung heroes in the mountains whose efforts have been keeping us alive and free from hunger all this time. So far our marketing efforts has totally paid off, we were able to gather supports on our third week:  564 page likes, 4176 post views, 240 people talking about it on Facebook; 16 retweets, 72 followers and 114 replies on Twitter, 167 pageviews on our blog and endorsements from leading student leaders in universities today, young professionals and online publishers.
There are a lot of things you can do for our farmers right now:
6 Steps to Help Them!
  1. LIKE and SHARE this page!
  2. DONATE your Facebook or Twitter Status:
  3. Or you could CREATE YOUR CREATIVE STATUS and post it here so we could feature you!
  4. FOLLOW us on Twitter http://twitter.com/iluvfarmers
  5. DONATE or ask people to donate money, farm tools, farm supplies, seedlings or seeds.
    • Contact iluvfarmers Campaign Ambassador Lorbe Catadman: 09299613737
  6. PLAY THE MINI GAME by commenting on this photo:
    Why I Should luvFarmers?
Show some luv today!
Filed Under: Blogging, Society Tagged With:

RAFI to hold Moonwalk for breast cancer awareness on Oct. 12

October 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In observance of Breast Awareness Month in October, the Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) will hold the 8th annual “Moonwalk: A Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness” under the full moon on Oct. 12.

“Since Oct. 12 is a weekday, we would like to inform the public of a possible traffic congestion that might happen on that day from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.,” Ronald delos Reyes, program coordinator of EJACC, said.

The Moonwalk will assemble an estimated 3,000 people on the lot beside Pag-Ibig Fund Tower in Cebu Business Park at 5 p.m.

Moonwalk 2011 Route Map

At 5:30 p.m., they will walk to The Walk in Asiatown I.T. Park, passing by Archbishop Reyes Avenue (please see illustrated route map). At the Asiatown I.T. Park, participants will form a pink human ribbon. A short program and Pink Rock Concert will follow.

Moonwalk is open to the public. Participants are encouraged to wear pink shirts.

Moonwalk, a unique advocacy campaign of RAFI held every full moon of October, aims to promote the importance of observing monthly breast self-examination for women aged 20 and beyond.

It is also a campaign of RAFI to get more people to be aware on the importance of early cancer detection and prevention. At the same time, it is a tribute to the victims and survivors of breast cancer.

“We hold Moonwalk during a full moon and Oct. 12 is when the moon is at its fullest this month. Full moon, because it is symbolically linked to the woman,” delos Reyes explained.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Cebuano women, based on the Cebu population-based Cancer Registry of RAFI.

From 1993 to 2007, Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) of RAFI recorded a total of 3,005 reported breast cancer cases in Metro Cebu. EJACC found a continuous increase of breast cancer incidence in Metro Cebu over the past 10 years, caused by lifestyle and health-related factors.

“Most of the participants are cancer patients, women from the barangays, and the youth. We encourage everyone, from all walks of life, to join us in this year’s Moonwalk,” delos Reyes said.

Moonwalk is organized in collaboration with The Walk and in coordination with Ayala Center Cebu and I CAN SERVE. It is supported by the Cebu City Government, Department of Health Region 7, Asiatown I.T. Park, Cebu Business Park, Allied Banking Corporation, Phillipine National Bank, Cebu Praedia Development Corporation, Rotary Club of Cebu Fuente, KAHAYAG Network of Cancer Support Group, and Destiny Medical Fund, Inc.

Moonwalk is an initiative of EJACC under the Integrated Development focus area of RAFI, addressing health issues of communities in order to create a better quality of life.

For more details about the Moonwalk, or to register, please call 254-6351 or 256-3287 and look for Gina Mariquit.

Filed Under: Cebu, News, Society

Greenin Philippines Launched to Media and Eco Groups

May 9, 2011 By 1 Comment

 

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Incorporated (RAFI) will embark on a large-scale environmental project that envisions to “go beyond tree planting by developing real forests.” Last October 27, 2010, RAFI has gathered together Cebu’s top environmental organizations, schools and colleges, and media organizations to launch Greenin’ Philippines. The presentation was held at the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center.

Mr. Neil Papas, RAFI Program Coordinator, gave a presentation about the foundation followed by Ms. Rowena Bandola’s lecture on climate change, in-depth analysis Cebu’s land, what Greenin’ Philippines. is all about and how do we, as program partners, execute it.
Greenin’ Philippines. aims to establish a broader scope, meet the needs of potential clients and partners with environmental concerns, contribute to national sustainable development, and upscale best practices and experience in environmental management.

“It is a starter of a five-year program,” says Ms. Bandola. ”It will align with the environmental rehabilitation by linking program partners with an accredited school, LGUs, corporate entities and individuals.”

To develop sustainable forest areas, Greenin’ Philippines has developed program strategies and approaches such as partnership broadening, capacity enhancement, social networking and establishment of forest models and pooling together of experts. The forest models can be found at Babag, Cebu City which started last 2004 and at Bojo, Alaguinsan last 2009.

RAFI signed up with CEAP schools (Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines) who will cultivate the native tree nurseries for logistical and operational reasons.

Based on the data presented, we need to reforest 8.6 million hectares of failing or denuded lands. To do this, we need 120, 400, 000 seedlings to be planted in the right places with the right kind of trees and at the right time. In Cebu alone, we have total land area 508,000 hectares and only 193,000 of this are forest or timber lands.

Among the organizations partaking in the program includes Cebu Bloggers Society headed by Vernon Go, Cebu Association of Biology Students headed by Evan John Mendoza, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Foundation for the Philippine Environment, University of the Visayas, St. Scholastica’s College, Cebu Bird Conservation Society, Cebu Mountaineering Society, Department of Education, Shangri-la Resort, Freeman Foundation, Sun.Star Cebu, Aboitiz Leaders, DelSan Office Systems and Mr. Ramon Vidal.

How can you help?

You can encourage your school, community or company to do your share by planting native trees where they are needed and most suited. Please coordinate with RAFI thru calling (032) 418-7234 local 515 and look for Mr. Neil Papas or Ms. Meryl Mendoza.

 

by: Jaysee John Pingkian, graphics artist, blogger and contributor, Content Management

Image from: rafi.org.ph

Filed Under: Events, News, Society

IT Rockstars on Demand

March 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Looking for an IT job? Here’s an event that’s right for you!

What: a recruitment party (pizza & beer!)
When: 25 March 2011, 7pm, Friday
Where: TechBar in Cebu

Experienced and first-rate devs are invited to join us for the most-wanted RECRUITMENT party of 2011.

Exist — enviable pioneers of open source in the Philippines with Java, Ruby on Rails, and dedicated interactive capabilities — is expanding and we want to reach that 200 headcount by our anniversary in September. You can be a major part of this!

Refer a friend who is qualified for any of our open positions or simply attend the party if you believe YOU have got what it takes to be part of our kickass team.

  • RoR Developers w/ at least 2 years experience
  • Java Developers w/ at least 2 years experience
  • iPhone Developers w/ at least 2 years experience
  • Python Developers w/ at least 2 years experience
  • .NET Developers w/ at least 2 years experience
  • C++ Developers w/ at least 2 years experience
  • PHP Developers w/ at least 2 years experience
  • Flash Developers w/ at least 2 years experience
  • Drupal Developers w/ at least 2 years experience
  • Business Analysts w/ 2-3 years experience
  • Project Managers w/ 3-4 years experience
  • System Administrators w/ 3-4 years experience

RSVP by sending your or your friend’s resume to hr@exist.com [Subject: I wanna be an Exist Rockstar!] and clicking “Attending” on our FB event page.

Exciting prizes, great entertainment, lightning talks, pizza and beer await you at the party, so sign up today!

 

Filed Under: Cebu, Events, News, Society

March is Colorectal Cancer Month

March 5, 2011 By 1 Comment

As the country celebrates Colorectal Cancer Month in March, the Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. urged the public to engage in early detection and prevention measures to fight colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is a disease in which normal cells in the lining of the colon or rectum begin to change, grow without control, and no longer die. It usually begins as a noncancerous polyp that can, over time, become a cancerous tumor.

“The most important thing to know about colorectal cancer is that it often exists without any symptoms. This is why regular screening is very important. Regular screening can detect polyps at an early state before cancer develops or when it is most curable,” Ronald delos Reyes, EJACC propgram coordinator, said.

He also pointed out that the colon and rectum, which comprise the large intestine, are vital in turning liquid stool into formed fecal matter.

According to EJACC’s Metro Cebu Population-based Cancer Registry statistics, incidence rate and mortality rate of colorectal cancer among men and women aged 30 years old and above are high.

Within 1993 to 2005, about 773 men and 600 women who are 30 years old and beyond were recorded to have the disease. Within the same period, 464 men and 344 women aged 30 and above have died of the cancer.

There were still people aged 0 to 29 who acquired colorectal cancer (47 individuals) and died of it (26 individuals) from 1993 to 2005.

The most common signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer include change in bowel habits that persists for more than four days; change in bowel habits that may include diarrhea, constipation or decreased stool thickness; feeling that the bowel is not completely emptied after a bowel movement; presence of bright red or very dark blood in the bowel movement or on tissue paper; persistent abdominal discomfort, such as cramps, gas pains, or bloating; feeling of a lump in the rectum; vomiting; chronic fatigue and unexplained weight loss; history of ulcerative colitis or Crohn disease; and certain hereditary conditions like familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer.

“Many people are aware of colorectal cancer but I am not sure of the extent of their knowledge. That is why we at EJACC will continue our educational campaign in the fight against cancer and, in the process, nurture the culture of learning,” Delos Reyes said.

On Mar. 16, EJACC will hold a lecture on colorectal cancer in Mandaue City.

Delos Reyes emphasized that colorectal cancer is preventable through screening methods, such as physical exam and colonoscopy, as well as second prevention measures, such as regular exercise and maintenance of a well-balanced diet.

“We must take a pro-active approach in the fight against cancer. When we know about a cancer and engage in early detection measures then the possibility of preventing it is very high,” he said.

Other screening methods for colorectal cancer include fecal occult blood test, digital rectal exam, and biopsy, among others.

For more information about colorectal cancer, please contact EJACC at at 254-6351 and look for Gina Mariquit.

 

Filed Under: Society
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