February isn’t just the LOVE Month which is commercially celebrated in many parts of the world especially on Valentine’s Day. More importantly, February is officially the Heart Month, the month of the year to promote heart health care as well as to educate the public on the various heart diseases and the growing health concerns among Filipinos.
It was in January 1973, by virtue of Proclamation No. 1096, when February every year was declared as Heart Month. The same proclamation stipulates that the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) is the lead agency of the annual celebration, with the Department of Health as partner. This year’s DOH’s Heart Month 2024 theme is: “Piliin ang Puso”.
The PHA, together with PHA-Zamboanga Peninsula Chapter, commemorated Heart Month's 51st year in the Philippines with various activities in the city.
With the theme, “Strengthening the Community: One Heart @ a Time,” a festive Heart Fair at the KCC Mall was held on February 16, 2024, featuring various activities such as Risk Factor Screenings, Blood Pressure taking and monitoring, Fasting Blood Sugar, Cholesterol tests, BMI check; and consultation all for free from the officer and member doctors of the PHA.
There were also Healthy Lifestyle/Preventive Cardiology Lectures from the heart experts, Hands-Only CPR training, and Poster-making and Poetry contests among high school students from Zamboanga.
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During the program, PHA Secretary Dr. Walid Amil urged parent attendees to start their kids young by instilling discipline in practicing healthy lifestyle. "Tayo ang modelo ng mga anak natin, hindi ang mga artista o [kung sino man ang mga napapanood nila] sa social media,” he said. He cited PHA’s 52100 campaign: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables; not more than 2 gms. of added salt; 1 hour of physical activity daily; 0 sugared beverages and 0 smoking, to be the best and easiest program to follow. Hailing from Zamboanga, Dr. Walid also thanked the PHA National for choosing his hometown to be the venue of this year’s Heart Month.
Likewise, Zamboanga City Mayor John Dalipe encouraged fellow Zamboanguenos to observe a healthy lifestyle for a healthy heart. He also commended the PHA for its unwavering commitment to promoting heart and wellness.
“Your dedication in making cardiology more accessible to the consciousness of our citizens through these meaningful engagements is truly commendable,” the chief executive said, stressing that these efforts to spread awareness, provide education and conduct activities that promote heart health “contribute greatly to building a community that values and prioritizes its well-being.”
PHA ZamPen President Dr. Lowe Chiong said it was just proper for Zamboanga to be the center of the celebration. A pro-active PHA chapter, Zamboanga is composed of various communities that need the right information and proper training on heart care and CPR training, among many others. Likewise, Chiong said he took the opportunity to promote the beauty and tourism of the peninsula. “That’s why we have arranged various activities for the PHA national and the secretariat so they can enjoy the best of Zamboanga City through our cuisine, culture and destinations,” Chiong said during a radio interview on GBPI TV11, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024.
True enough, PHA Zampen had arranged a tour for the group at the Sta. Cruz island to enjoy the pink sand and immerse themselves in environmental tourism through a visit to the protected lagoon, the mangrove or bakawan farm.
A total of 230 pre-registered participants came to learn CPR for the first time while interested mall-goers tried their luck to be accommodated. Participants include LGU and barangays representatives, medical and nursing students from different schools, military men, and hospitals/clinics staff.
#HeartMonth2024 #heartmonth #February2024
#StrengtheningtheCommunity #PHA #phiulippineheartassociation #CPR #ZamboangaCity #PHAZamPen #zamboangatourism #
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