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Ranjit Kaur Pritam Singh
Former President at Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia (BCWA)Ranjit, a breast cancer survivor since 1998, has a basic qualification in Physiotherapy and a Master of Science degree in Community Disability Studies from University College London.
She is a patient advocate and the President of Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia. Ranjit is a board member and former president of Reach to Recovery International (RRI), a global breast cancer support and advocacy program. She was elected to the Executive Committee of the Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance in December 2017, representing low, lower middle- and upper middle-income countries. Ranjit is also a Patient Advocate and former Board Member the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
Alya B. Honasan
Consulting Desk Editor at Philippine Daily InquirerAlya B. Honasan is a consulting desk editor of Philippine Daily Inquirer's Lifestyle section. She has edited and written for over 30 books on the environment, culture, and other subjects. She is an Iyengar yoga teacher and a six-year breast cancer survivor, is living with clinical depression, and is mom to two rescued asPins, Kiko and Kikay.
Dr. Mae Corvera
CHAIR at RUTH FOUNDATION FOR PALLIATIVE HOSPICE CAREDr. Mae is a Family Medicine and Palliative Medicine Specialist, and currently Chair of the Ruth Foundation for Palliative and Hospice Care. She was the Chief Resident of the Department of Family and Community Medicine – Philippine General Hospital, where she received post-residency training in Supportive, Palliative and Hospice Care. Her Clinical Attachment was with the Department of Palliative Medicine-National Cancer Center in Singapore. She completed her Post-graduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine from the University of Wales in Cardiff and is presently completing her Masters degree in Palliative Medicine in the same university.
In her 10 years of practice, she served as Home Care Physician for the Ayala Alabang Hospice Care Foundation for 3 years and as a consultant of the Hospice of Manila Empowerment (HOME). She is one of the pioneers of the Home Care and Hospice Program of the University of Perpetual Help (Dalta) Medical Center and had an integral role in the set up of the Supportive and Home Care Unit of the Asian Hospital and Medical Center. Her present practice is centered at Asian Hospital and Medical Center where she is the Chairman of the Bioethics Committee, a member of the Cancer Committee, and Consultant under the Department of Occupational and Family Medicine where she actively practices Supportive Care and Palliative Medicine in both the home and in-patient setting.
Dr. Mark Richard Kho
Surgical Oncology at Manila Doctors HospitalDr. Kho is a general surgeon and surgical oncologist, and VP for Medical Service Operations at Manila Doctors Hospital. He has trained and practiced at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and at the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, California. He is also a professor at the UP College of Medicine-Philippine General Hospital.
Dr. Kho is one of the original ICANSERVE volunteer doctors, generously sharing his time and expertise to the foundation over the past 20 years in various capacities.
Dr. Francis Lopez
Head of Bone and Marrow Transplant Unit at St. Luke’s Medical CenterDr. Lopez is a medical oncologist and hematologist practicing in two hospitals in Metro Manila. As head of St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City’s Bone and Marrow Transplant Unit as well as its Stem Cell Center, he pioneered Mismatch Stem Cell Transplantation in the Philippines. His leadership has benefited patients without a complete matched sibling donor, giving them a greater chance to proceed with treatment.
Dr. Lopez is a longtime, loyal volunteer doctor for ICANSERVE. He has lent his expertise as a regular speaker and in training numerous local government unit medical teams for ICANSERVE’s flagship program, Ating Dibdibin.
Magis Creative Spaces
Speaker at Magis Creative SpacesMAGIS Creative Spaces is a center for creative education, therapies, and consulting for wellbeing, learning, and healing in different contexts. MAGIS serves individuals, groups, and communities. MAGIS launched the Expressive Arts Network, an online community of art enthusiasts who believe in the expressive arts for healing, education, peace-building and social transformation, who share events and ideas about the arts for wellness and healing and learning.
Dr. Raymond Joseph Y. Escalona, MBA
Director of Medical Education at LifeScienceRaymond has been working with urban and rural poor communities in the Philippines since 2007. He founded the Bridging Lifestyles and Health: Road to 100 advocacy in 2015 which set out to educate individuals from all socio-economic classes about the power of lifestyle change in the reversal of chronic disease. He is the founder of Nutrigeneering – a scientific wellness company providing nutrition solutions for individuals with chronic disease.
Raymond is a graduate of the dual degree MD-MBA program from the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health. Realizing his knowledge gap in nutrition and lifestyle change as it applied to chronic disease management he sought to expand his skills and finished the Masters in Nutrition for Wellness program at Bastyr University. He then completed his certification at the Institute for Functional Medicine and was awarded certification status in January 2019.
Dr. Agnes Galura-Famero
Functional Medicine Practioner at LifeScienceDr. Agnes Galura is an internist and a fellow of Philippine College of Physicians. She works under Romlas Health Group as a Functional Medicine Practitioner in LifeScience Center for Health and Wellness, and as the Products, Services and Technology Development (PSTD) Manager of Global Medical Technologies Manila Inc. She is a member of the Institute of Functional Medicine and Society of Integrative Oncology.
Madelene C. Calalo, RND
Nutritionist-Dietitian Educator at LifeScienceMadalene is a licensed Nutritionist-Dietitian specializing in Functional Nutrition. She currently works under the mentorship of Dr. Raymond Escalona, a Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner at LifeScience Center for Health and Wellness and the Director of Medical Education at LifeScience Institute. She provides, as part of his care team, personalized dietary and lifestyle interventions to a variety of patients. As the Nutritionist-Dietitian Educator of LifeScience Institute, she devotes herself to improving the country’s standard of care by educating health practitioners of the Functional Medicine approach.
Her degree in BS Community Nutrition at the University of the Philippines-Diliman has gained her competencies in community development, program planning and management, and training. She also had a short involvement in the field of research as a Project Assistant at the Food and Nutrition Research Institute-Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST).
Dr. Zoe Arugay-Magat
Functional Medicine Practitioner / Occupational Medicine Specialist at LifeScienceDr Ava Angela Arugay-Magat is an occupational medicine specialist with a strong background in corporate wellness, and trained in production health and safety in the entertainment industry. Working closely with local and foreign film crews like Survivor and Bourne Legacy, Dr Zoe, along with the safety and creative team minimized risk exposure in the workplace while maintaining their desired creative direction.
Lexi Payumo
Yoga Practitioner at Urban Ashram YogaLexi has been a yoga practitioner for 7 years and a teacher instructor for 6. She started with hot yoga then found her flow with vinyasa flow. After her first 200-Hr teacher training in NYC, she started teaching in Manila's Urban Ashram Yoga where she also studied perinatal, restorative, kids, and chair yoga. These different styles have helped her become a more versatile and adept teacher for a wider audience; she loves teaching kids, families (partner and acro-yoga), pregnant ladies, and senior citizens. She has also delved into the study of Kundalini yoga, a practice that incorporates mantras (mind vibrations), mudras (hand postures), pranayama (breathing patterns), and asanas (poses) in order to create a specific effect on the body and mind.
Denise Celdran
Owner / Meditation Teacher at The Good SeedDenise co-founded MindWorks Center for Mind Health in 2013, with her father, pediatrician Dr. Miguel Celdran, to empower individuals with or without disability, and improve their quality of life through optimum mental and physical health. She is a meditation teacher and the owner of The Good Seed Vegetarian Café.
Gang Badoy
Founder / Alternative Educator of RockEd PhilippinesGang Badoy is primarily a writer, a public intellectual, and an alternative educator best known for founding RockEd Philippines, a multi-project creative collective guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goalsl. RockEd advocates civic education through rock and roll culture, mainly music and art performances and programs held with volunteer artists outside the classroom. She hosted the long-running weekly Rock Ed Radio talk show at NU107 and, following the station’s closure, at Jam 88.3.
Badoy is a staunch advocate of volunteerism and is a prime organizer of disaster relief operations. She is also the Director of Project Steady and is a Mindanao Peace Games Advocate.
Badoy studied at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. In 2010, she was recognized as one of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) and received the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) award that same year.
Nameeta Dargani
PRESIDENT at ART OF LIVING FOUNDATIONNameeta Dargani is a founding member and President of the Art of Living Foundation, Philippines. She has been with the foundation since 2005. Equipped with a business degree from the European Business School, London, she is a mother of two young boys and along with her husband manages a family business.
Nameeta’s life's mission is to uplift and empower people from all walks of life with the techniques of the Art of Living that have enriched her life and left her with an unshakeable smile. She is a teacher of the Art of Living ‘Happiness Program’ as well as the ‘Breath and Sound Therapy’ workshop which is a free course designed for victims of trauma.
Nameeta has taught stress management techniques of the Art of Living Foundation to people from all sections of society including corporates, youth, business leaders, home makers, educators, social workers, law enforcers and prison inmates.
Dr. Virgilio Novero
Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Luke’s Medical CenterDr. Novero specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology and sub-specializes in infertility and reproductive medicine. He is the Head of the Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine and Infertility (CARMI) and section head of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City. He is one of the country’s pioneers in In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), having helped design, plan, and operationalize the Philippines’s first hospital-based IVF center.
Dr. Clarito Cairo, Jr
Occupational Safety and Health Practitioner at DOHDr. Cairo is the Program Manager of the Philippine Cancer Prevention and Control including Palliative and Hospice Care under the Department of Health.
Paul Perez
PRESIDENT at CANCER COALITION PHILIPPINESInspired by the bravery of childhood cancer patients, including their own son Seve who battled and won against acute lymphocytic leukemia at the age of 3, Paul and Sigrid Perez partnered with Philippine Children’s Medical Center to found Project: Brave Kids. Since 2005, the organization has assisted children with cancer and their families, particularly indigent families with brave kids being treated at PCMC.
Paul also serves as the President of Cancer Coalition Philippines, the prime civil society organization behind the passage of RA11215 or the National Integrated Cancer Control Act. He is a father of 8 and owner of a famed local artisanal ice cream brand, Papa Diddi’s Handcrafted Ice Cream.
Carmen Auste
VICE PRESIDENT at CANCER COALITION PHILIPPINESMenchie’s son, James, was diagnosed with and survived brain cancer as a teenager. She then founded Cancer Warriors Foundation, a Philippine-based patient support organization for families of children with childhood cancer.
Menchie is a globally known and respected patient advocate, having served in various leadership roles with Childhood Cancer International, the largest global patient support organization and advocacy network for children/adolescents with cancer and survivors, Union for International Cancer Control, the WHO Working Group for Global Childhood Cancer Initiative, and the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board. She is currently Vice President and a co-founding member of Cancer Coalition Philippines, the prime civil society organization behind the passage of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act.
Dr. Rizzy Alejandro
ModeratorDr. Rizzy Alejandro is the Strategy and Communications Director for AC Health. She is a graduate of the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health.
Kara Alikpala
FOUNDING PRESIDENT at ICanServe Foundation, Inc.Kara Magsanoc- Alikpala is the founding president and of the ICANSERVE Foundation, and Vice President for Internal Affairs of Cancer Coalition Philippines. She is a journalist and filmmaker. Kara is a breast cancer survivor of 22 years.
Dr. Justin Benigno S. Aquino
Chief Resident Physician at Makati Medical Center's Section of Psychiatry, Department of NeurosciencesDr. Justin Benigno S. Aquino graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a cum laude in BS Psychology. He earned his doctorate in Medicine at the University of the East Medical Center, before completing his internship training at the Makati Medical Center. He is the current chief resident physician for the Makati Medical Center's Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences. Dr. Aquino has worked as a theatre actor and English teacher. He has recently given lectures on Depression, Suicide, and the role of religions in Mental Health. His other advocacies beyond Mental Health include secularism, atheism, humanism, scientific literacy, and animal rights.
Drew Arellano
ModeratorDrew Arellano is a Filipino actor and host, known for his work on Unang Hirit, AHA!, Balikbayan, and Biyahe ni Drew. He is a triathlete, ultramarathoner, and proud family man.
Gilda Bandong-Ruyeras
Gilda Bandong-Ruyeras is celebrating her 10th year as a breast cancer survivor this September. She is a retired Registered Medical Technologist from Tagum City, Davao del Norte. Gilda has three children.
Dr. Aldine Basa
BREAST CENTER HEAD, at ASIAN HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CITYDr. Aldine Basa is a breast surgeon who is passionate about increasing awareness about breast cancer and a big advocate for its early detection. She has volunteered for many awareness campaigns with ICANSERVE and continually advocates for the screening for breast cancer in order to detect it early. She is a graduate of the University of the Philippines-College of Medicine and did her General Surgery residency training at the Philippine General Hospital. She then went on to do specialty training in Breast Surgical Oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne, Australia and in San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy. She is a diplomate of the Philippine Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the Philippine College of Surgeons. Currently, she is the Head of the Breast Center at Asian Hospital and Medical Center and the Director of the Breast Center at the Medical City.
Patty Betita
ModeratorPatty is a Former Bb. Pilipinas International (1991), professional model/image enhancement speaker, and MODEL coach and mentor. It wasn’t easy for her to go public with her cancer but when she did, she found it liberating and a golden opportunity to be a source of light for others on the same journey.
Mitzi Borromeo
ModeratorAward winning news anchor Mitzi Borromeo was transformed profoundly by the cancer experience of her sister Patricia. She honors her spirit and that of other cancer survivors through the ICANSERVE Foundation.
Marivic Bugasto
President at I-Care Breast Cancer FoundationMarivic Bugasto is President of Baguio-based Minda's Buddies Cancer Support Group, and is a volunteer of ICanServe Foundation. Her work for cancer advocacy in Baguio and the Cordilleras has earned merits and recognition including an Outstanding Women Leaders Award. She is a 14 year Stage 4 Survivor.
Paulo Bugayong
ModeratorPaolo is the CEO of AIDE, a mobile application that enables people to schedule non-emergency home-based medical care.
Dr. Clevelinda Calma
Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology at UST / Cardinal Santos Medical CenterDr. Calma practices Internal Medicine and Oncology at the University of Santo Tomas Hospital and Cardinal Santos Medical Center. She has 21 years of experience and is a member of the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology.
Iza Calzado
ModeratorOne of the most sought-after actresses today, Iza also passionately promotes her various advocacies: she is the co-founder of She Talks Asia and is a WWF Ambassador. ICANSERVE’s advocacy is also close to Iza’s heart, having lost two stepmothers to breast cancer.
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Dr. Pinky M. Casas
Medical Officer Vi at Philippine Charity Sweepstakes OfficeDr. Casas is from the Charity Assistance Department of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, which attends to all the agency’s charity services, including the Individual Medical Assistance Program (IMAP), endowment fund, ambulance donation program, calamity assistance, feeding program and medical equipment program to name a few.
Crisann Celdran
Chair at ICanServe Foundation, Inc.Crisann co-founded ICANSERVE FOUNDATION 20 years ago with three other friends, shortly after her diagnosis at the young age of 26. She currently serves as ICANSERVE’s Chair, and is a proud soccer mom to three wonderful boys.
David Celdran
ModeratorDavid Celdran is a veteran broadcast journalist with more than twenty-five years of experience as a television news manager, anchor, reporter and producer in the Philippines. He is currently the host of ABS-CBN News Channel’s business and lifestyle program EXECUTIVE CLASS and Editor-in- Chief of ABS-CBN Publishing Inc.’s VAULT magazine.
Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski
ModeratorGawad Kalinga Volunteer. Anak TV Spokesperson. World Wide Fund for Nature Ambassador. Member, International Olympic Committee.
Pamela Monique Columna, BSN, RN, USRN
Registered NursePamela Monique Columna is a registered nurse in the Philippines and in the United States. She garnered her clinical experience from St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City and worked as a nurse educator at Rachell Allen Asia Pacific where she educated nurses locally and in the United States for several years. She is currently taking up her master’s degree with a major in Adult Health Nursing at the University of the Philippines-Manila and is developing functional medicine training programs for nurses and other allied health professions as the nurse educator of LifeScience Institute.
Gaby Concepcion
ModeratorLawyer, university lecturer, television host, and public service advocate Atty. Ma. Gabriela “Gaby” Roldan-Concepcion is now immortalized through a gumamela hybrid that has been named in her honor.
Karmina Constantino
ModeratorKarmina Constantino is a veteran news anchor and journalist with ABS-CBN and ANC, having appeared on TV Patrol, The World Tonight Saturday Edition, ANC Mornings, ANC Live with Karmina Constantino, and Balitang America. She is a proud wife and mother, and yoga and pilates enthusiast.
Tirso Cruz III
Filipino ActorTirso Cruz is a multi-awarded winning actor and one of the most respected names in the industry today. He is a lung cancer survivor and personally experienced the pain of losing a loved one to cancer when his son, TJ, passed away last year.
Nikoy De Guzman
President at ICanServe Foundation, Inc.Nikoy is a two-time breast cancer survivor, businesswoman, and health and beauty advocate.
Melissa De Leon
ModeratorMelissa De Leon-Joseph is grateful for her second lease on life and all the sweet blessings that come her way. She is paying it forward through the support group she started, Project Pink. Project Pink regularly collaborates with ICANSERVE on its promotion of early breast cancer detection campaigns.
James Deakin
ModeratorTV host and road safety advocate James Deakin dedicates his breast cancer awareness advocacy to his Mom and her sister Jean, and every other woman that has bravely taken on the fight. James embarked on a high-impact pink car campaign that hit the roads of Metro Manila to raise awareness. People signed their names on the pink vehicle, posed photos of it on their wall or news feeds. He said the "pink panther" is a reminder to families stricken with cancer that someone is thinking and praying for them. Patients and their families are not alone.
Dr. Charles Edward Florendo
PhysicianCertified Family Physician, Medical Adviser of the Buteyko Clinic International, Holder of an Advanced Certificate from the Buteyko Breathing Association, Co-founder, Controlled Breathing Association (Africa), Assisted in training practitioners from the USA and Africa, Resource speaker on the Buteyko Method in Africa, USA, and the Philippines, Author of the “Breathing Into Better Health” program and manual.
Cherie Gil
ModeratorEvangeline Rose Gil Eigenmann, better known by her stage name as Cherie Gil, is a Filipino actress. She has been acting in TV series, films and theatrical productions since the age of 9.
Maan Hontiveros
ModeratorBusinesswoman, environmentalist, and supporter of the arts Maan Hontiveros is the original "I am woman hear me roar" embodied. Maan did not go public with her cancer experience more than ten years ago to protect her late father. He had gone through hell when Maan's Mom had breast cancer; she got sick when her father was in his 80s and she didn't want him to relive the pain and anguish.
Agot Isidro
ModeratorAgot Isidro, ICANSERVE volunteer, and an award-winning darling of the indie film scene and telenovelas is also a guardian angel to cancer survivors. She is foremost, a true patriot. She will fight for the rights of the underserved sector.
Christine Jacob-Sandejas
ModeratorChristine Sotto Jacob-Sandejas, also known as Christine Jacob, is a Filipina swimmer, actress, T.V. host, and newscaster.
Elizabeth Limos, Rnd
Dietary Service Department at UP-PGHMs. Limos is a Registered Nurse and one of the pioneers of the National Institute of Health’s Committee on Aging and Degenerative Diseases (COMADD).
Chuchu Madrigal
Philanthropist and breast cancer survivor Chuchu Madrigal believes every cancer patient deserves the full spectrum of care. She supports a breast cancer patient from start to finish through her Samurai Program for ICANSERVE. Samurai because a cancer patient's courage is without compare. Chuchu wants to fight cancer and keep Filipino families whole by nurturing one cancer patient at a time.
Dr. Nikko Magsanoc
Consultant at Center For Advanced Reproductive Medicine And Infertility At St. Luke’s BgcDr. Magsanoc is a board member of the Philippine Society for Fertility Preservation and Consultant Staff at the Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine and Infertility (CARMI), St. Luke’s Medical Center - Global City. He is the Section Head, Section of Pediatric Urology at St. Luke’s and Section head, Robotic Surgery Unit at Philippine General Hospital. Dr. Magsanoc is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, where he graduated in 1995. He completed his Fellowship in Pediatric urology and minimally invasive surgery in Children’s Hospital Boston Harvard Medical School.
Michelle Magsaysay
Teacher of Qi GongMichelle started her journey with the Sheng Zhen Meditation practice as far back as 1995. Around that time, she met her teacher, Master Li Junfeng, founder of the International Sheng Zhen Society Foundation who was then head coach of the Philippine Wushu Federation. He taught her tai chi and later introduced her to the practice of Sheng Zhen Meditation. Currently, Michelle teaches this practice in the hope that people can experience inner peace and a balanced state of mind in the midst of their busy lives.
Dr. Eileen M. Manalo
Vice President at Philippine Society For Fertility PreservationDr. Manalo has been practicing Obstetrics and Gynecology for over 30 years, specializing in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. She is the past chief at UP-Philippine General Hospital Section of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, where she also teaches. She is a board member of the Philippine Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Philippine Society of Gynecologic Endoscopy. She is a founding member and past president of the Philippine Society of Reproductive Medicine, and is associate editor of the Journal of Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction. Dr. Manalo has represented the Philippines at the International Federation of Fertility Societies.
Lourdes Medina, PhD.
Board Certified Expert In Traumatic StressLulu is one of the Philippines’ few experts in traumatic stress, having received her training and certification from the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and the National Center for Crisis Management, both in New York. She is one of the pillars in psychotrauma work in the country and a founding member and Program Coordinator of the Porta Coeli Center for Pastoral Counseling and Psychotrauma Management.
Lulu is the President and also one of the few advanced Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) therapists in the country. She was one of the pioneers and subsequently sat as Director and consultant of the UST Graduate School Psychotrauma Clinic. She currently teaches at UST and St. Scholastica’s College. She earned her PhD from UST, MA from Ateneo de Manila University, and Professional Diploma (PD) from Center for Family Ministries (CeFam).
As a recent cancer survivor, she is now conducting workshops for other patients, along with their family members and caregivers, to better understand, cope, accept and develop self-efficacy and grit towards positivity for a new mindset and make their cancer journey meaningful for them and others.
Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD
Priest at Christ the King SeminaryFr. Jerry was diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer in 2018. Already a beloved minister prior to his diagnosis, Fr. Jerry’s experience as a cancer survivor has made him even more of a guiding light. His message of “Focus on the humor, not the tumor” has resonated with the cancer community, bringing hope that no matter how difficult the fight, there will always be a reason to smile.
Bibeth Orteza
ModeratorArtist and ICANSERVE Spokesperson Bibeth Orteza-Siguion Reyna wears shoes that don't match because she said, “If I wear shoes that don’t match, who cares if I have only one breast? If symmetry is ‘the correct or pleasing proportions of the parts of a thing,’ I have that in my breast cancer sisters. We balance each other out, since what we used to fear as illness has evolved into our fulcrum.”
Daphne Oseña-paez
ModeratorDaphne-Osena Paez, UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador and ICANSERVE volunteer, is a strong believer in keeping Filipino mothers and children healthy. She promotes two life-saving, life-giving crusades—early breast cancer detection as the first line of defense, and breast feeding as the best source of nutrition for babies.
Sigrid Perez
Founder of Project Brave Kids, IncSigrid Perez is a wife and mother to 8 children. After her son was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2005, she and her husband Paul were thrust into a life-changing experience. Having personally experienced the challenges of families with children fighting cancer, they decided to form Project Brave Kids, Inc., an organization dedicated to supporting families with children fighting cancer.
Sigrid graduated from the University of Asia and the Pacific with a degree in Humanities with field of specialization in Communication. After realizing that her passion lies in teaching, she pursued post graduate studies in Family Life and Child Development from the University of the Philippines. She was a preschool teacher, a curriculum head and an Associate Director of preschools here in Manila and in Cebu. She is a certified Points of You Practitioner and a Family Life Mentor. She also helps her husband run their businesses in Food (Papa Diddi’s Handcrafted Ice Cream) and advertising (The Grupo Sorbetero Company).
Dr. Joan Mae G. Perez-Rifarael, M.D
Psychiatrist at Healthy Mind ClinicDr. Joan Mae Perez-Rifareal is a highly motivated psychiatrist driven to provide the highest quality of mental health care to all. She is a Diplomate of the Philippine Board of Psychiatry and a Fellow of the Philippine Psychiatric Association.
She served as the Chief Resident of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine in the UP–Philippine General Hospital, and finished a Clinical Fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore. She teaches at Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, helping to train the future health care providers of the country.
Dr. Pauline Peronilla-Cauton
Internal Medicine / Medical OncologyDr. Cauton is a board-certified internist and medical oncologist, with a special interest in palliative care and supportive oncology. She has presented her research on effective communication with cancer patients in international conventions and will be continuing studies in the field as part of a palliative care research fellowship in Canada next year. Her other interests include music, the performing arts and writing, all while being a proud wife to husband Peter and mother to their 6 children.
Dr. Lea Pineda
Breast SurgeonDr. Lea Pineda is a breast surgeon in several hospitals including The Medical City in Ortigas and in Clark, Premiere Medical Center and Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center in Cabanatuan City, and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Manila. She is a member of the The Medical City, Department of Surgery, and an active member of Philippine Society of Breast Surgeons. Dr. Pineda also published a study in 2016 on the “Applicability of Oncoplastic Breast Conserving Surgery in Asian Breast Cancer Patients”. She finished her medical degree in St. Luke’s College of Medicine, Quezon City, and pursued her General Surgery resident training in The Medical City where she also served as Chief Resident. Lea trained further in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore as a Clinical Fellow in Breast Surgery. She is an advocate of women’s health and promotes breast screening to all women.
Dr. Divina Cristy Redondo-samin
Dr. Redondo-Samin is a registered nutritionist-dietitian, a medical doctor, and holds a diplomate from the Philippine Board of Clinical Nutrition. As a clinical nutrition specialist, she is associated with Premier Medical Center and Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center, both in Nueva Ecija, as well as with St. Luke's Medical Center and National Kidney and Transplant Institute, both in Quezon City. As an educator, she is currently part of the faculty of the Philippine Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, giving short courses for continuing medical education, and is an adjunct professor associate with the Faculty of Health of the University of Canberra in Australia.
A published author or co-author of several scientific research papers, her areas of interest include, among others, critical care nutrition, pharmoconutrients and oral nutrition supplements, functional nutrition and medicine, and the use of diet and exercise in obesity and in the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases.
Chiqui Roa-Puno
ModeratorChiqui Roa-Puno is a health advocate who authored the National Integrated Cancer Act, champions the cause of persons with disabilities (PWDs) by ensuring they are given free PhilHealth coverage, and has filed a total of 89 measures, the most notable being the recently enacted Mental Health Law (Republic Act 11036).
Etta Rosales
Former Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairperson Etta Rosales has survived both Martial Law and breast cancer. She is an activist, teacher and politician, who served three terms as the party-list representative of the Akbayan Citizens' Action Party to the Philippines' House of Representatives.
Dr. Rachael Rosario
Executive Director of Philippine Cancer SocietyDr. Rosario is an active member of the Cancer Coalition and is the Corporate Secretary and Executive Director of the Philippine Cancer Society. She is the Head Coordinator of the Supportive, Palliative and Hospice Unit, in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Philippine General Hospital Manila where she also holds the position of Associate Clinical Professor at the UP College of Medicine. A 30-year cancer survivor, Dr. Rosario is a pain consultant at the San Juan De Dios Hospital since 2006. She is also volunteering her services as Project Director of two cancer support groups – Child Haus of QC General Hospital and Munting Paraiso of UP-PGH Cancer Institute. A product of Silliman University’s BSMT, she took up her post graduate studies at the University of Visayas College of Medicine and 3-year residency program in Anesthesiology at UP-PGH.
Louie Sangalang
ModeratorHaving survived cancer in his 20s, Louie Sangalang is no stranger to overcoming adversities. Just recently, Sangalang conquered his greatest challenge yet after hurdling the arduous FWD North Pole Marathon.
Lexi Schulze
ModeratorAfter having graduated from Macquarie University in New South Wales, Australia, with a degree in Media and Cultural Studies, Lexi Schulze came back to her home country, the Philippines, in 1998, to try all avenues of media on the lifestyle front—from being a newspaper columnist to radio jock, magazine editor to TV writer and producer—before finding a permanent home in the news channel ANC under ABS-CBN, one of the country’s top broadcasting networks.
Recently, Lexi was made to dabble in hard news, embracing new challenges and issues in the political and socio-civic realms as News Anchor. She currently anchors the weekday morning news program called Early Edition, and is also the host of ANC's Balitang America.
Dr. Ramon Severino
President at Philippine Society of OncologistsDr. Severino is a Pediatric Oncologist and Hematologist at the East Avenue Medical Center. He serves as a Pediatric Consultant at Dr. Jesus Delgado Memorial Hospital, V. Luna Hospital, and Philippine Heart Center. He is a past president of the Philippine Society of Oncologists, and fellow of the Philippine Pediatric Society, Pain Society of the Philippines. Among others, he also serves in various capacities with the Catholic Physicians Guild of the Philippines, DOST, and SIKAP BATA Foundation. He is the Chairman of the Advocacy Committee of the Philippine Medical Association.
Dr. Severino is the founding co-chairman of Cancer Coalition Philippines, and ICANSERVE is fortunate to count Dr. Severino among its most dependable volunteer doctors through the years.
Dr. Gia Sison
ModeratorDr. Gia Sison is a doctor specializing in Occupational Medicine and is a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas. She is also a breast cancer survivor and advocate, serving as the Philippine Leader for Livestrong Foundation.
Me'Anne Solomon
ICanServe Foundation President Cebu ChapterMe'Anne, a breast cancer survivor since 2004, co-organized ICANSERVE Cebu Chapter in 2005 right after she completed her chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She is president and CEO of Alcordo Advertising, the pioneer in outdoor advertising and signages in Cebu, and also president of the Out of Home Advertising Association of the Philippines–Cebu Chapter. Among her civic endeavors, she is a member of the board of trustees of ICANSERVE Foundation, director of The Philippine Red Cross-Cebu Chapter, member of the Regional Advisory Council for Police Transformation and Development 7, and currently holds an international position in Rotary International as End Polio Now Coordinator for Region 7 (2018-2020).
Despite all her achievements as a businesswoman and civic leader, Me'Anne is most proud of her family: she is married to Tito Solomon and is mother to two young professionals, Maria Angelica and Miguel Antonio, both now also married.
Dr. Daniel Tan
Pulmonologist at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in ManilaDr. Tan is a Fellow and Diplomate of the Philippine College of Physicians and of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians. He is a Professor of Medicine at the University of the East College of Medicine and treats patients at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Manila.
Iya Villania
ModeratorIya is a television presenter, actress, and host. She is known for her work as a VJ in the music channel MYX, she currently appears on Chika Minute on GMA 7’s 24 Oras. She is the proud wife of her People Vs. The Stars co-host Drew Arellano and proud mom of Primo and Leon.
Dr. Kaye Yoingco
ModeratorDr. Kaye Yoingco is an MD-MBA from the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health. She is currently a Strategy and Business Development Associate at Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health)