PHL Mission to ASEAN Celebrates International Women’s Month with Talk on “Life Changes for Health”

Philippine Ambassador Elizabeth Buensuceso, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to ASEAN, welcomes the guests to the “Life Changes for Health” talk held at the Philippine Mission to ASEAN.

23 March 2018 JAKARTA – The Permanent Mission of the Philippines to ASEAN hosted a talk entitled “Life Changes for Health” in celebration of International Women’s Day and as one of its Gender and Development (GAD) initiatives. The event invited Jakarta-based medical practitioners and a nutrition expert to discuss health issues and presented practical recommendations towards leading healthier and happier lifestyles.

In her opening remarks, Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso reaffirmed the commitment of the Philippine Mission to support International Women’s Month. She underscored the high importance the Philippines places on women’s issues and gender equality, noting progressive laws such as the Magna Carta on Women. Springing from the common national theme of “We make change work for women,” Ambassador Buensuceso shared that the Philippine Mission made it a point to ensure that the afternoon talk would be as gender-inclusive as possible, with a talk that highlighted sex-disaggregated medical data that showed where women were at higher risk for certain diseases compared to men, and vice-versa.

The first speaker, Dr. Steven Graaff, M.D. of Good Practice Clinic located in South Jakarta, discussed heart disease and major cancers, specifically cervical, breast, and prostate cancers.   The second speaker, Ms. Jocelyn Halim shared some practical and very surprising tips towards a more nutritious diet. And finally, to address a common ailment, Dr. Ibrahim Agung explained the causes of lower back pain and some simple changes one can try to address it.

The event was attended by all of Mission’s personnel, members of the Philippine Business Club-Indonesia, Philippine Women’s Association and other members of the Filipino community in Jakarta. END

For more information, visit http://www.jakartapm.dfa.gov.ph/ or https://www.facebook.com/PHMissionJakarta.