In 1997, Abbygale Arenas represented our country in the Miss Universe pageant. According to pageant enthusiasts that time, the Pampangueña beauty is a shoo-in for the crown and many compared her to Melanie Marquez. Unfortunately, she only placed 11th in the prestigious pageant that year missing the semi-finals by only 0.01 point! However, she came home with the Miss Photogenic award.

Abbygale may not have won the crown but the former beauty queen who is now married to famed photographer Jun de Leon is winning the hearts of many by becoming a responsible mother and wife and by advocating the fight against cervical cancer. She formed a non-profit organization called “Bravehearts Coalition of the Philippines” to raise awareness in the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Filipino women.

During the launch of GlaxoSmithKline’s “You Can and You Will” campaign on Monday, May 23, 2016 at Fairmont Makati, Abbygale was straight to point in making the women and the members of the press and bloggers who attended the event aware that the statistics of cervical cancer in the Philippines are alarming.

“I’m doing this advocacy for three main reasons. First, the numbers 2, 80, and 7. ‘2’ because cervical cancer is now the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths among Filipinas; ’80’ because it’s estimated that 80 percent of Filipino women will be infected with HPV (the virus which is the necessary cause of cervical cancer) at some point in their lives; ‘7’ because seven Filipino women die of cervical cancer every day. These numbers struck me, they are not so good. 2, 80 and 7, Please do not forget that” she said.

“The number two reason why I am here, I know how to fight cervical cancer. This time they’re not numbers, they’re letters. It’s A-S-V. Awareness, Screening and Vaccination. These are the ways on how to fight cervical cancer.”

“The last reason why I came talking about it is because I promised my children, now I have two children, I promised my children that I will take care of myself so I can take care of them. So many women and so many mothers are not taking care of themselves very well just because there’s so many things that should be taken care of aside from ourselves but the thing is, as we have the vaccination, we can take care of ourselves as we take care of them,” she added.

Abbygale formed the non-profit organization called “Bravehearts Coalition” which aims to see a cervical cancer free Philippines in the future. She encouraged all the attendees to become part of the advocacy by simply raising awareness about the disease.

“From this group of people all I’m asking is you tell 10 other women who will also tell 10 other women, that is how we multiply and make people believe that we can fight cervical cancer. We should empower ourselves with the right information and the right steps because this cancer is preventable,” she said.

Several doctors also graced the event to give a professional/scientific perspective on cervical cancer. Here are the facts every Filipino women should know:

• Persistent infection with the cancer-causing HPV type is the necessary cause of cervical cancer. Persistent HPV infection together with the presence of any of the identified risk factors (i.e., smoking, early first sexual intercourse, multiple sex partners, have given birth for multiple times, long term use of oral contraceptives, and weakened immune system or presence of HIV) increases the chance of a female to develop cervical cancer.
• Sexual intercourse is the primary route of transmission of genital HPV infection, but penetrative sex is not required for transmission. The HPV virus may be passed on from one person to another through direct genital skin to genital skin contact during sexual activity.
• Cervical cancer has no signs and symptoms in its early stages. It the event that symptoms will occur, the following may be expected: irregular bleeding between periods or abnormal vaginal bleeding after sexual intercourse, back, leg, or pelvic pain, fatigue, wight loss, loss of appetite, vaginal discomfort or odorous discharge, and a single swollen leg. There may be other conditions that would present with vaginal bleeding, hence it is best to consult a doctor when any of these symptoms appear.
• The HPV vaccine is recommended for females 9 years old and above. For females 15 years old and above, the schedule is 0,1,6 months.
• The price of the HPV vaccine may vary depending on the access points – hospital, doctor, government, and other healthcare institutions. It is best for the patients to consult with their doctor.
• There is value in vaccinating males with the HPV vaccine with the objective of protecting them against diseases caused by HPV such as anal and penile cancer. There is no robust data supporting the administration of the vaccine to males will prevent transmission of the HPV to females.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) furthers its advocacy to increase cervical cancer awareness efforts in the Philippines by launching the purple-themed “You Can & You Will” campaign in time with the commeration of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

The campaign aims to encourage Filipinas to realize that they have the power to protect themselves and their dreams simply by consulting their doctors and asking about ways to prevent cervical cancer.

GSK Medical Affairs Manager Dr. Lea Manio revealed that the estimated financial cost of preventing cervical cancer through screening and vaccination could be 20 times more affordable than the cost of treatment.

“An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Getting cancer may be a distant concept for women who are well and at their prime, but they should be aware that even the healthiest can be at risk. The power to protect yourself from cervical cancer is in your hands, and NOW is the best time to consult with your physician and have yourself screened,” she stated.

To know more about cervical cancer, visit the Power Over Cervical Cancer Page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/POCCPh) and the Pangarap Mo, Protektado page on Youtube (www.youtube.com/ProteksyonPortal) containing information and short films conveying how protecting oneself against vaccine-preventable diseases is one important step in the achievement of one’s dreams. To get updates on the advocacy campaign, you can track the hashtag #PowerOverCervicalCancer and #YouCanAndYouWill.

Aside from Abbygale Arenas, Rose Manzano was also present during the panel discussion to discuss about her own fight against cervical cancer. Her daughter Andi shared about their whole family’s ordeal during those difficult times that Rose is battling the big “C.”

Doctors also talked about cervical cancer and gave a professional take on HPV and the dreaded disease:

Alarming numbers: 2 – Cervical cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths among Filipinas; 80 – It's estimated that 80 percent of women will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives; 7 – Seven Filipino women die of cervical cancer every day. #YouCanAndYouWill #PowerOverCervicalCancer #advocacy

A photo posted by Starmometer (@starmometer) on May 23, 2016 at 2:49am PDT