The Freudian Slip Of A Bacolodnon

It was my first time to travel to Zamboanga City last Monday together with fellow project associates. We spent a week in Zambo City training mayors, municipal health officers, municipal social welfare and development officers and community leaders at Cecille's Catering and Pension House in Tumaga Porcentro. During our last night in Zamboanga City, we decided to roam around and visit the popular and historical places in the city. First stop was the Paseo Del Mar and its main attraction is the Gyrating and Dancing Musical Fountain. People would come to the park and wait for the fountain to just light up and change colors and heights choreographed with some contemporary music. Paseo del Mar is a night spot for Zamboangueños. If you would like to try some local food and listen to local bands, Paseo del Mar is the place to be in Zamboanga. Of course, there is the nearby Paseo del Pilar, a much smaller park but close to the historic Fort Pilar where the miraculous shrine of our ...

2012 marks the 10th year since the first Medical School in the island of Negros opened. The University of Saint La Salle opened a medical school in June 10 of 2002 with 44 freshmen students. It had its first batch of graduates in 2006. Its first graduates took the Board exams in 2007. Currently, all those who took the board exams of 2007 are now licensed medical doctors working in various areas and places. Many are specialists. Many are also in public health. This school year, the USLS College of Medicine has grown big with around 80 medical students now enrolled as freshmen, a 100% jump from last year's freshmen enrollment. Traditionally, as started 10 years ago by the pioneer batch, the college of medicine would hold its annual Acquaintance party. For 2012, the second year medical students, who are the major hosts and sponsor for the party, held the acquaintance party at the Planta Hotel in Bacolod City. Entitled, "Party Rock", the theme of the Acquaintance party w...

During my Saturday Class with the third-year medical students, we discussed how health programs are supposed to be implemented. It was emphasized that planning is important before implementing a program. Part of planning of course is to do a situational analysis and community diagnosis. The output of the class after the lecture was to design a social marketing strategy for 4 different D.O.H. programs: National Tuberculosis Program, Anti-Dengue Drive, Maternal Health and Expanded Program Immunization. The class has to design a campaign strategy that would involve tangibles such as posters, brochures, a 2-min. TV commercial and a Module designed for health workers on how to teach the campaign. Among the three outputs, designing a module or workshop can be quite difficult, especially for medical students who were not taught how to be "teachers" or to educate. While there is no rule of thumb on how to design the module, here are some tips on how to formulate the workshop or a...

I found myself in yet another familiar territory this morning when I came back to the University of Saint La Salle in the College of Medicine to give my lecture on Public Health (First year students) and Implementing Health Programs (Third Year students). While the topics were all about the history of public health and how to implement health programs, I could not help but also highlight the inequities in health. Discussing the health inequities can be lengthy and for non-health professionals it can even be confusing. So here are I feel three videos that I would like to share that would highlight, first and foremost, the local health system, then the social determinants and finally what we can do to address inequities in health. A Local Health System simplified Social Determinants Zuellig Family Foundation's Framework and Health Change Model What do you think brings about health inequities? What can you do to address these health inequities? Like it? Share it....

There is a pending bill in the Philippine congress attempting "to make noncompensable the time a mother breastfeeds her baby in the workplace during work hours." Dubbed by critics as the "Monster Bill" or "Anti-Breastfeeding Bill", critics see this as an attack against the Milk Code of the Philippines. Below is a copy of this draft: Draft HB - An Act Promoting a Comprehensive Program on Breasfeeding Practices and Regulating the Trade, Mar... What do you think about this bill? Share your opinion here. Like it? Share it. Get the Share on Facebook widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox ! Not seeing a widget? ( More info )Like it.

Since the Philippine Department of Tourism launched its campaign, many Filipinos have been supporting the "Its More Fun In The Philippines" slogan. Commercials, whether print or otherwise, have been using this catchy phrase to promote the country's drive to attract tourists both here and abroad. I have seen many videos from the DOT and so far, this video here is perhaps one of my favorites. So what's more fun in the Philippines? Here's a video that basically summarizes everything. By the way, I love the music in this video. It is definitely so Filipino. And here's a video of the Philippines through the eyes of a foreigner Like it? Share it. Get the Share on Facebook widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox ! Not seeing a widget? ( More info )Like it.

The last day of Summer, which was actually the first day of the rainy season, became the last opportunity for my office-mates to go to a Water Park, forget about work and just spend the day bonding and enjoying ourselves. So, last June 1 we all went to Fontana Water Park in Clark, Pampanga as part of our staff recreational program. It has been a while since I came to Fontana. The first time I was there, I was with fellow doctors to the barrios also enjoying a weekend of fun and sun devoid of stress and worries about work. Fontana Hot Springs Leisure Park is located along C.M. Recto Highway at the Clark Free Zone in Pampanga, almost a 2-3 hour drive from Manila depending on traffic conditions. You can check in in one of their villas or in their hotel. Checking in a villa is almost like having your own house in a subdivision where a huge water park is located. Depending on the distance, you can either walk from your villa to the water park or to the sports center or call for a fre...