When I was first invited to join a medical outreach years ago, I remember asking myself one simple but nagging question: “What happens after the mission?”
We treat, we consult, we screen—but when the tents are folded and the doctors leave, the community is often left to figure things out on their own. That question stayed with me. And it was in that realization that End Cervical Cancer Philippines Organization Inc. (ECCPOI) began to shift its focus.
Instead of being just another participant in short-term medical missions, we now choose to work directly with local government units (LGUs)—with mayors, municipal health officers, and barangay health workers (BHWs). Our goal is simple but urgent: to strengthen their own cervical cancer prevention programs so that the work doesn’t end in one day, but continues every single day.
On August 29, 2025, we saw this vision unfold in Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija. The Municipal Hall became more than just a venue—it became a symbol of hope, as it gathered all the BHWs of the municipality for a Cervical Cancer Orientation and Training Session.
Together with ECCPOI Team—Ms. Gelyn Soleman, Mr. Tony Cama, and Ms. Brenda Cama—we trained Sta. Rosa’s health frontliners not just on awareness, but also on primary prevention (HPV vaccination) and secondary prevention (cervical cancer screening). Using a speculoscope, we showed how the cervix can be evaluated in real time, with reports generated in seconds. More importantly, we emphasized that a positive finding is not the end of the road—it is the beginning of treatment and healing. Patients can be managed immediately with thermal ablation, cervical biopsy, or referral for advanced care. And as a radiation oncologist, I carry with me the responsibility and privilege to personally treat cancer when needed.
This effort was made possible through the unwavering support of The Fraternal Order of Eagles – Philippine Eagles, under National President Ronald F. Delos Santos, and with the strong leadership of Governor Ronald D. Talens (EY 2025–2026) of the CLR 24 Host Region. Sta. Rosa’s local leaders—Mayor Tupeng Aguilar, Vice Mayor Richard Dimacali, and Dr. Ellaine “Ces” Barayuga-Mangrubang—stood side by side with us, showing what true partnership looks like.
But the real heroes of the day? Sta. Rosa’s barangay health workers, midwives and doctors. They are the ones who will carry this mission into their barangays, into homes, and into the lives of women who need it most. Their commitment ensures that cervical cancer prevention is not just an event, but a movement.
To the Eagles organization, and most especially to Governor R.D. Talens, thank you for the warmth of your welcome in Palayan City. Your nest has given ECCPOI strength to fly further in this mission of hope.
Maraming salamat po. Together, we dream of a Philippines where no woman has to die of cervical cancer—and together, we will make that dream a reality.
