John Lesaca, a well-known and celebrated violinist and musician, has captivated audiences for decades with his innovative approach to classical and contemporary music. His profound impact on the Philippine music scene, marked by technical proficiency and expressive playing, has earned him widespread acclaim and numerous prestigious awards, including the Aliw Award for Best Instrumentalist and the Gawad CCP Award for Music. His musical journey, distinguished by performances with the Manila Symphony Orchestra and appearances on popular television programs such as “Concert at the Park” and “Aawitan Kita,” has long showcased his outstanding ability to blend classical techniques with modern styles. This versatility has made the violin more accessible to a broader audience, enhancing his status as a household name in the Philippines.

Now, beyond his musical achievements, Lesaca steps into the spotlight once more, this time as an advocate for cancer awareness. With cancer hitting close to home, Lesaca endeavors to use his platform to educate and inspire others about the importance of early detection and cancer prevention.

Lesaca to Share His Advocacy at the CCE Summit

One such cancer, cervical cancer, remains a global public health concern despite being preventable. Through vaccination and early detection, the incidence of cervical cancer can be significantly reduced. And so, just as he has spoken to audiences through his music, Lesaca also hopes to get through to audiences the important message of cervical cancer prevention to help save lives through the first Cervical Cancer Elimination (CCE) Summit in the Philippines.

This event aims to address issues surrounding cervical cancer, bringing together experts, advocates, and community leaders to advance strategies for eradication and raise awareness about prevention and treatment. Lesaca’s presence at the pioneering summit is set to bring a powerful message of hope and resilience to those in attendance.

Lesaca, a cancer patient himself, will share his cancer advocacy at the CCE Summit, underscoring the summit’s mission to eliminate cervical cancer. His participation highlights the intersection of art and advocacy, demonstrating how influential figures can leverage their platforms to drive significant social change. He believes more can be done to ease the burden on cancer patients and their families, and that immediate action is necessary as cancer waits for no one. Additionally, he emphasizes that collective effort and cooperation, driven by humanity, are essential in fighting cancer together.

Lesaca’s unwavering commitment to both music and cancer education exemplifies the spirit of the summit, fostering a collective effort to create a future free of cervical cancer.

The 1st Philippine Cervical Cancer Elimination Summit

In the Philippines, around 40 million women aged 15 and older are at risk of developing cervical cancer. Annually, an estimated 8,549 women are diagnosed with the disease, and 12 Filipinas die from it each day. Cervical cancer ranks as the 2nd most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 in the Philippines.

Thanks to medical innovations, cervical cancer has become largely preventable through vaccination and screening. With this, healthcare company MSD in the Philippines reaffirms its strong commitment to empowering women to take charge of their health by intensifying its disease awareness efforts and education campaigns to combat cervical cancer.

 
Building on over a decade of the HPV Summit legacy, the first Philippine Cervical Cancer Elimination Summit takes place in line with Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. The CCE Summit will underscore the urgency of achieving the World Health Organization (WHO)’s ambitious targets—known as the 90-70-90 strategy—for immunization, screening, and treating cervical cancer. With a comprehensive approach to prevent, screen, and treat, cervical cancer can be eliminated as a public health problem by 2030 according to the WHO. The summit will spotlight the commitment of stakeholders across diverse sectors to contribute towards the realization of cervical cancer elimination.

Join The Cause

The CCE Summit marks a crucial step in the battle against cervical cancer in the Philippines. Advocates like John Lesaca, alongside multiple public and private stakeholders, highlight the influential role that public figures and advocates can play in promoting awareness and inspiring change.

John Lesaca urges everyone to get involved – whether you are a healthcare provider, policymaker, advocate, or concerned citizen, your contribution to CCE is indispensable. Together, we can make significant progress towards a future without cervical cancer. Let us join forces to prevent, detect, and treat cervical cancer, paving the way for a healthier and brighter future for all Filipino women.

120 female learners ages 9 to 14 from public schools in Plaridel, Pulilan, and Bulakan successfully received the HPV vaccine as part of the local government’s efforts to guard the youth against cervical cancer. 

Another significant development during the day was the official launch of the community-based availability of the HPV vaccine, the “Bulacan Strengthening HPV Immunization towards Elimination and Leadership Development (SHIELD) Against Cervical Cancer” program. This vaccination expansion, aptly launched during World Immunization Week, is crucial in the province’s mission to prevent cervical cancer through early immunization. The initiative, originally school-based, now extends its reach to the entire community to enhance immunization coverage and safeguard public health.

Vice Governor Alexis Castro has announced plans for officially offering the HPV vaccines to the entire province of Bulacan. “Lahat po ng mga babeng mag-aaral ng public school na nasa edad 9 hanggang 14 na taong gulang ay maaari nang makatanggap ng HPV Vaccine.” (All female public school students aged 9 to 14 in Bulacan will have the chance to get vaccinated against HPV.)

Protecting children and young women against cervical cancer

The “Sa Aking Paglaki, Walang HPV” school-based vaccination program aligns with the community vaccination effort. The local government of Bulacan, provincial representatives from the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Education (DepEd), along with healthcare company MSD in the Philippines, promoted access and administration of the vaccine to Grade 4 female students. Its latest run vaccinated students from Pulilan, Plaridel, and Bulakan, and will continue to vaccinate more schoolchildren until the targets within the province have been reached.

To further expand the impact of this immunization effort, the HPV vaccines allotted for Bulacan have been dispersed in various health centers within the province to encourage more young women to get vaccinated against HPV.

“Simula Abril, nagstart na tayo magbakuna (We have started vaccinations since April),” Dr. Sheila Mae Yu-Geronimo, Development Management Officer IV for Provincial DOH office in Bulacan shared. “Ang launch natin ngayon ay hudyat ng patuloy na sunud-sunod na pagbabakuna hanggang macover natin ang 100% completion ng mga kabataang kababaihan (The launch today is the mark of our continuous vaccination efforts until we cover 100% completion for our young women).”

Vice Governor Castro reiterates the importance of prevention through vaccination. “Ang HPV vaccine po ay napakahalaga para sa atin para ma-prevent natin ‘yung mas malalang magiging sakit… Ang problema kasi, kung kelan meron nang sakit doon pa lang tayo kelangan gumalaw. Pero mas mapapaliit natin yung bilang ng magkakasakit kung mas focused tayo sa prevention (The HPV vaccine is crucial for us to prevent serious illnesses… The problem is, when we are already sick is the time we seek medical assistance. But, we can reduce the number of patients if we’re more focused on prevention),” he mentioned.

Atty. Nikki Manuel Coronel, Chief of Staff of the Governor, also mentioned Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando’s support for early vaccination. “Si Governor ay naniniwala na mahalaga ang bakuna para maiwasan ang iba’t ibang uri ng sakit katulad ng cervical cancer. At hinihikayat natin ang lahat ng mga magulang na makiisa sa ating mga palatuntunan, sa ating mga programa para matiyak ang kalusugan ng ating mga anak at tuluyan nating mawaksi ang panganib ng cervical cancer at iba’t ibang uri ng sakit sa ating lipunan (The Governor believes in the importance of vaccines to prevent various diseases, such as cervical cancer. We encourage all parents to join our program to ascertain the health of the children and to completely eliminate the dangers of cervical cancer and other diseases  in our community),” he stated.

A collective solution

Providing HPV immunization to all young women in Bulacan is possible through everyone’s collective effort. Hence, during the event, local government representatives, doctors, teachers, and parents pledged their support and commitment to this endeavor.

DepEd representative and Principal of Plaridel Central School, Dr. Ma. Lorena Cardenas showed her support for the program and DepEd’s role in the initiative. “We are indeed eager to support the HPV vaccine where our learners from Grade 4 will benefit. This program is good enough to help our learners and as school partners, you can accommodate our learners and our support will be in expanding the literacy among our parents, our learners, and our community school stakeholders.”

Parents also expressed their opinions on the vaccination program. “Isa po itong epektibong pamamaraan upang maiwasan ang cervical cancer na pangalawang sanhi ng pagkamatay ng mga kababaihan (This is one effective way of preventing cervical cancer that is the second cause of death among women),” Remelyn, mother of two children being vaccinated on that day, shared. She also shared her appreciation for the program. “Salamat po sa government ng Bulacan, kay Governor at sa lahat ng pamunuan. Malaking tulong po ito sa aming lahat bilang mga magulang (Thank you to the government of Bulacan, to Governor, and to all officers. This is of great help to all of us as parents).”

While preventable, cervical cancer ranks as the second most killing cancer among females, with 12 Filipinas dying every day. By making immunization accessible to the community, local government and health departments can push for more young women to be vaccinated early on.

“Sa lahat ng mga magulang na makapupunta rito, magpabakuna tayo ng HPV vaccine dahil napakimportante nito at makakatulong ito sa atin (For all parents who can attend, let us get the HPV vaccine because it is important and it can help us),” Vice Governor Carlos mentioned.

The school-based immunization program aims to vaccinate 21,000 female students ages 9 to 14 within the Province of Bulacan. Currently, almost half of the target has been achieved and 10,000 vaccines have been deployed across LGUs in Bulacan to administer in their health center units.

Around 1,000 female students in Banna, a municipality in Ilocos Norte, received their first dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine on May 10, 2024, making Banna the first municipality in the Philippines to achieve the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) goal of vaccinating 90% of the female schoolchildren ages 9-14.

HPV is the most pervasive sexually transmitted infection. Often, it is harmless and resolves by itself. However, some cases can result in general warts or cancer. Having the HPV vaccine protects against genital warts and most cases of cancer such as cervical cancer and cancer of the vagina, vulva, penis, or anus.

In the Philippines alone, cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer and the fourth leading cause of death from cancer in females. The latest record shows there are about 37.8 million Filipino women at risk, with 8,549 women receiving diagnosis, leading to over 4,000 fatalities or 12 Filipinas dying every day from the disease.

Apart from early detection, healthcare professionals are pushing for preventing the diseases altogether through immunization. The local government of Banna, provincial representatives from the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Education (DepEd), along with healthcare company MSD in the Philippines, promoted access and administration of the vaccine to Grade 4 female students.

To safeguard the young girls of Banna from this virus, Mayor Mary Chrislyn Abadilla, who is also a medical doctor by profession, urged her constituents to support the immunization program being spearheaded by the WHO, with the help of the DOH and DepEd in ensuring that the girls in town are safe and protected against cervical cancer.

“For this year, we have already covered (immunized) all girls aged 9-14 and we plan that those who will turn 9 years old next year will get vaccinated. We will just wait for them,” said Abadilla as she initiated a community-based approach to strengthen the national government’s projects. A cervical cancer awareness program was held to raise awareness of the immunization project and its benefits to both young females and their families.

“I was surprised that we were the first to achieve this throughout the country. If we want to achieve something on a national level, we must work hand in hand and do something about it,” Abadilla shared. She directed all the barangay captains to gather all pertinent data for the community-wide immunization and also sought help from DepEd to advocate cervical cancer awareness and prevention.

“All we just need to do is to inform and at the same time, look for those who share with our advocacies and make it happen,” she added. With May as the Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Paula Paz Sydiongco, Regional Director of the DOH – Center for Health and Development in Region I, lauded the efforts of the local government unit of Banna for the successful implementation of the HPV immunization program.

“Political commitment and political will are the driving force behind any successful health initiative. Congratulations to Mayor Chrislyn for demonstrating unwavering support for women’s health to inspire change and create a lasting impact on nationwide health for our people. Together, we can make history and ensure a brighter future for generations to come,” she said in her speech during the mass HPV vaccination and the start of cervical cancer screening held at the municipal hall of Banna.

Dr. Maria Rosario S. Vergeire, Undersecretary of Health, emphasized how knowledge is crucial to combating cervical cancer. “We also need to increase Filipinos’ knowledge of prevention, screening, treatment, and knowledge of healthy behaviors. We need to ensure that cancer screening and early detection interventions are available and accessible in primary care facilities and our hospitals. Gaya ng layunin ng universal healthcare, patuloy nating ipapatupad ang settings-based approach upang masiguro natin ang ating mga komunidad ay supportive of practicing healthy behaviors,” she said.

Dr. Modesty Leaño, Officer-in-Charge Medical Center Chief of the MMMH&MC, underscored the importance of early detection by highlighting that cervical cancer is highly treatable when caught in its early stages.

DOH hopes to increase access to early detection services, combat the growing burden of cervical cancer, and empower more women to take charge of their health by availing of free cervical screening and receiving the vaccine from participating health centers. In support of HPV immunization towards eliminating cervical cancer, the state-run Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH&MC) in Batac City will also conduct free screening on May 17, 2024. The Batac Hospital is also one of DOH’s 31 cancer treatment sites designated to conduct free screening and consultations to promote early cancer detection and improve treatment outcomes.

For his part, Schools Division Superintendent Atty. Donato Balderas assured his all-out support to the nationwide immunization program.

“Based on what we have witnessed today, we were inspired to make Banna as our model and help in the advocacy campaign so that other local government units will follow suit,” said Balderas. He also mentioned how teachers and nurses in the division of Ilocos Norte can help advocate and shed light on the importance of the immunization program to fight any virus by encouraging the local government’s programs against cervical cancer.

Vice Governor Cecilia Araneta Marcos also expressed her commitment to implementing the immunization program by enacting life-saving measures to reduce the risk of cervical cancer and all other health-related concerns. “(The) HPV vaccine is important to reduce the risk of getting cervical cancer. Let us unite to prevent life-threatening diseases through early vaccination,” she said.

When diagnosed, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively. Cancers diagnosed in late stages can also be controlled with appropriate treatment and palliative care. With a comprehensive approach to preventing, screening, and treating cervical cancer, the chances of fully eliminating this cancer increase until it poses no problems for the coming generations.