Mu Sigma Phi Sorority, Inc.

Once again, the Mu Sigma Phi Sorority demonstrates its unwavering dedication to cultivating a healthier, more empowered society. Drawing attention to the powerful correlation between Education and Health , the Mu Sigma  Phi Sorority held the first ever Gawad Panitikang Pangkalusugan Press Conference last August 25 at the Filipinas Heritage Library.  As part of the Sorority’s Diamond Year Celebrations, the event was a culmination of more than a year’s search for creative children’s stories that will help raise relevant health concerns to the level of national consciousness and possibly influence the health-seeking behaviors of our youth.

The press conference’s focal point was the awarding of the winners of the storybook writing competition– Hannah Lyn Creencia’s Five Seconds Only, Benjamin R. Mangubat’s The Untold Story of Super Boy, Margaret P. Yarcia’s Maki’s Colorful World, Mary Gigi Constantino’s Crooked, and John Anthony Tindoc’s Spirit of the Rain all won in their respective categories and bagged twenty five thousand pesos each.

Aside from the winners, the illustrators of the books to be published were also given recognition for their invaluable help and generosity in giving their time and talent for the project. They include Valerie Jan Villaflor, Martin Malabanan, Jodi Bess Lego, Randy Vallente and John Kendrick Bautista who all worked together with the sorority and its partners in making this project a reality.

Also acknowledged during the program were Sir Eric David, the overall Creative Director of Gawad Panitikang Pangkalusugan and the judges of the competition: Stella Guerrero Manalo M.D. (μΣΦ 1987), Luis P. Gatmaitan M.D., Eugene Evasco and Anthony Cordero M.D. (ΜΣΦ '92), who all tirelessly sifted through the 145 entries coming from the different parts of the archipelago.

Gawad Panitikang Pangkalusugan, a nationwide children’s storybook writing competition on Health, carried the theme “Tabi-tabi Po: Exploring Philippine Health Myths” on its pilot year. The storybook writing competition was intended to tackle health myths for any of the following categories: Lungs, Skin/Bones, Vaccination, Stomach, Brain/ Behavior, Fever/Infections and Nutrition. The project aimed to highlight Philippine culture and creativity through a viable and sustainable medium appreciated by a young audience and at the same time advocate literacy and education in the context of holistic health and optimal child development.