Mu Sigma Phi Sorority, Inc.

Participants of the host school St. Catherine of Siena Academy with Drs. Mayu Gonzales (µΣΦ 1972), Marilyn Ruaro (µΣΦ 1976), Fay Cagayan ((µΣΦ 1993) and Gladdy Facun (µΣΦ 2011).

September 26, 2009.

It will go down in Philippine history as the day when one of the worst floods ever hit Metro Manila, but for the women of Bataan, yet another windfall will be remembered: a windfall of wealth.

As the adage goes, health is wealth, after all. And health did spring forth in tandem with the continuous rain as the Mu Caravan made its third stop in Samal, Bataan, for an entire day of meaningful, informative activities aimed at furthering women empowerment through health education.

St. Catherine of Siena Academy was the host school for this leg and, along with six others from the Diocesan Schools of Bataan (DSOB)—St. Nicholas School, St. John Academy, Holy Parochial Institute, St. Peter of Verona Academy, St. Michael the Archangel Academy and Blessed Regina Protmann Catholic School—fielded in a total of 102 high school teachers as participants.

Mary Angeline Bugay and Melvin Malibiran from St. Catherine of Siena Academy opened the program with the national anthem and doxology, after which Ms. Amalia Ponce, principal of the host school, gave her welcoming remarks.

The lecture series started with Dr. Mayu Bonoan-Gonzales (µΣΦ 1972), who talked about—to everybody’s chagrin, especially after a hearty morning snack—obesity and the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. To facilitate the discussion, the vital signs of the participants had beforehand been measured, among which were the body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure.

Participants smile as they listen with rapt attention to the witty and humor-filled lectures prepared by the consultant sisses.

Next tackled was aging, yet another sensitive topic for any woman. Handled masterfully by Dr. Marilyn David-Ruaro (µΣΦ 1976), she gamely discussed the expected changes brought about by aging and how a woman should care for herself. Special attention was given to menopause and to increased risks of hypertension and cancer, particularly of the breast, in the older woman.

Finally, in a fitting finale to the series, Dr. Fay Samadan-Cagayan (µΣΦ 1993) shared with her audience the strategies for stress and lifestyle management. Stressing the necessity of personal time to attend to hobbies and interests, Dr. Cagayan also suggested activities that might help release tension and promote relaxation, such as belly dancing and yoga.

The afternoon concluded with a game formatted like Pera-o-Bayong, where participants had the chance to recall pertinent points discussed and take-home lessons learned throughout the day, and mugs customized for the event were given away as prizes. During the afternoon snack that followed, volunteered opinion was that of increased awareness of personal health and—true to yet another objective of the Mu Caravan—declared that they would definitely impart the knowledge they’ve gained to other women.

Majah Jacob (µΣΦ 2013), head organizer of the Caravan’s leg in Bataan, gave the closing remarks and, together with project co-chairperson Gladdy Facun (µΣΦ 2011) and the ever-dynamic host Nani Tumlos (µΣΦ 2013), awarded certificates of appreciation to the lecturers and generous sponsors who had made the event possible: the Santos family, the DSOB and Jollibee Bataan.

The Mu Caravan is one of the diamond anniversary projects of the Mu Sigma Phi Sorority under the Service pillar, the first two legs of which were held in Tarlac. The Caravan is set to reach Los Baños, Laguna and Bicol within the near future.