TWO LANAO SUR TOWNS BENEFITTED FROM A FREE CERVICAL CANCER VAX

By: The Mindanao Today (News)

LANAO DEL SUR — 200 women from Lumba Bayabao and Pagayawan towns in Lanao del Sur received free Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines provided from the Cervical Cancer Awareness and Vaccination program conducted by the Office of MP Diamila Disimban-Ramos in partnership with the LDS' Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) and the said LGUs.

The two-day vaccination program was held earlier this March at the Municipal Hall of Lumba Bayabao and in Brgy. Ngingir, Sitio Ambary Gymnasium in Pagayawan was in solidarity with the 2023 National Women's Month and aimed to extend assistance to the constituents of the Bangsamoro Region, especially to women and vulnerable sectors who have limited access to medical services.

It also provided an awareness lecture to educate the participants about cervical cancer and how it is the second-leading cancer among women in the Philippines.

"Ang mga kababaihan sa buong mundo at maging sa Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) ay tahimik na gumagawa ng kanilang kontribusyon sa lipunan at marahil ang pagiging isang babae ay hindi lamang tungkol sa pagdiriwang ng ating kagandahan at lakas kundi pati sa mga landas na itinulak natin sa ating sarili, sa mga karapatan na ating natamo at sa mga pagsubok na ating nalampasan. Marahil ang pagiging isang babae ay tungkol sa pagpapatuloy -- ang pagtanggi na sumuko at ang pagtitiyaga para sa pagkakapantay-pantay, paglago at pagbabago," said MP Ramos. 

(Women all over the world and even in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are quietly making their contribution to society, and perhaps being a woman is not just about celebrating our beauty and strength, the paths we push in ourselves, the rights we have gained, and the trials we have overcome. Perhaps being a woman is about persistence—refusing to give up, persevering for equality, growth, and change.)

Moreover, Lumba Bayabao Mayor Mahar Dagalangit recognized the significance of the said program and lauded the stakeholders for its success, "Ganito pong mga programa ang dapat na sinusuportahan at kami po ay lubos na nagpapasalamat sa tanggapan ni MP Ramos sa tulong na ito para sa aming mga kababaihan. Alhamdulillah! Malugod po naming kayong tinatanggap." (Programs like this should be supported, and we are very grateful to the office of MP Ramos for bringing this help for our women. Alhamdulillah! We welcome you.)

"Kami po ay nagpapasalamat, on behalf of IPHO-Lanao del Sur, sa pag-imbita sa amin ni MP Ramos, dahil dito ay mas naging aware po ang mga kababaihan natin regarding cervical awareness, at mas nahikayat po natin sila na magpabakuna ng HPV vaccine. Nawa'y patuloy po ang ganitong serbisyo niyo sa ating mga kababayang Bangsamoro lalo na po sa mga kababaihan," said Ms. Sittie Najerah Darimbang, RN of IPHO-LDS.

Beneficiaries also received hygiene kits containing towels, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, rubbing alcohol, shampoo, and facemasks, and they are expected to receive their second dosage of the HPV vaccine three months after the said vaccination. Further, besides the HPV vaccine, there was also a pneumococcal vaccine provided for the elderly and others who attended the program.  

"Alhamdulillah! Ang mga ganitong programa para sa aming mga kababaihan ay talagang napaka-makabuluhan dahil malaking tulong ito upang mas mapangalagaan ang aming mga kalusugan at makaiwas sa sakit lalo na sa cervical cancer. Salamat po, MP Ramos, at nawa'y mas mapalaganap niyo pa ang awareness hinggil sa cervical cancer", Ms. Normaida Balindong, one of the beneficiaries of the program, noted. 

The said vaccination program was productive and successful with the help of IPHO-Lanao del Sur led by Dr. Alinader Minalang thru Dr. Sittie Naymah Pandi-Lamping and her team and the local government officials of Lumba-Bayabao under the leadership of Mayor Mahar Dagalangit and Pagayawan town under the leadership of Mayor Khalida Sanguila and its RHUs.

Meanwhile, in her message on the commemoration of International Women's Day and National Women's Month at BARMM, led by the Bangsamoro Women Commission, MP Ramos, as the Chairperson of the Committee on Women, Youth, Children, and Persons with Disabilities in the BTA Parliament, recognized the positive advancement of the equal rights of women around the world, regardless of race, state, culture, or religion.

"Women from different backgrounds, faiths, and ethnicities have long fought for equality in terms of basic rights, essential opportunities, and protection before the law. It had been such a difficult fight. But our champions and their companions persevered and never gave up on the hope that one day, the women will rise above their situation and come out triumphant in their fight for equality, particularly in terms of rights, opportunities, and protection. Alhamdulillah, as a Bangsamoro woman, I am proud, grateful, and humbled all at the same time because my identity as a woman and my roots as a believer have guided me to realize that I have long enjoyed the outcomes of such a fight for equality."

She also thanked the BWC-BARMM, under the leadership of Chairperson Bainon Karon, for its constant efforts to lead and promote the rights, welfare, and development of the Bangsamoro women, "In the Bangsamoro Organic Law, for example, we have enabled women to be recognized for their important role in nation-building and regional development and ensured our representation in the decision-making and policy-determining bodies of the Bangsamoro Government. We have witnessed how we were able to establish institutions for women like the Bangsamoro Women Commission and the Committee on Women, Youth, Children, and Persons with Disabilities. We have also institutionalized Gender and Development Focal Point Systems, or GADFPS, in all instrumentalities of the government and secured to include gender and development programs and services as part of the priorities of the Bangsamoro government, where our unique roles as well as our fundamental equality before the law have been recognized and empowered."