MANILA, Philippines- On October 11, 2014, ATHAG was part of the faculty and staff of the De La Salle-Family Life and Wellness Institute (DLS-FLWI) who joined the forum organized by the Asian Social Institute (ASI) for its 52nd anniversary. The activity, held at Francis Senden Memorial Hall, revolved around the theme, “The Challenge of Effective Health Care Delivery System towards Inclusivity.”
Senden Hall was packed with participants from different sectors and stakeholders involved in health care delivery in the Philippines. After the opening program and a presentation of case studies of sick children who had difficulty accessing health care services, the mechanics and guide questions for the round table discussion were explained to the participants. The group then broke up into smaller discussion groups to discuss the following questions:
- How do we contribute to a holistic health care for children and their families?
- What initial plans or ideas are worth pursuing to coordinate our efforts and gather commitment towards achieving holistic health care for children and families?
A lively discussion among the groups followed. ATHAG and the FLWI team were part of the roundtable led by Dr. Patricia Sison, the Executive Director of FLWI who is also on ASI’s Board of Trustees. The need to promote Hilot, because it is an effective homegrown healing system which uses readily available resources, was one of the highlights of the sharing.
Afterwards, each of the groups were asked to present a summary of their shared ideas. Due to the sheer volume of participant outputs, the forum went beyond its appointed time. It was truly a successful and productive activity for ASI and all the participants.
BOY FAJARDO HILOT 