ANGARA PLEDGES P .5 M YEARLY FOR DIABETES AWARENESS

"There is a serious public health menace that is silently killing Filipino children," said Senator Edgardo J. Angara, "and there is an urgent need to wage an aggressive information and awareness campaign against it."

"An estimated number of six million Filipinos know they have diabetes, and another six million is estimated to have the disease but are not aware they have it," said Angara, who pledged an amount of P500,000 yearly for the next five years to be used solely for the education of the public on diabetes and ways to prevent it.

Globally, the Philippines ranks 10th among countries with the highest diabetes incidence. The disease is more rampant today than 20 years ago. Also, diabetes is now increasingly affecting even the younger generations, with cases of diabetes in pre-teens and teens surging due to lifestyle reasons, mainly the lack of physical activity and increased periods spent in front of the television, computer or playing video games.

"It is both shocking and sad that while diabetes is the 9th leading cause of death in the Philippines, diabetes awareness is very low among the public. Being a complicated disease, diabetes could only be effectively addressed with proper education regarding the right diet and a healthy lifestyle," said Angara.

He stressed that the low level of diabetes awareness becomes an even more pressing issue with the growing number of diabetics in the country. By 2010, there would be an estimated 15 million diabetics in the country unless the disease is curbed.

Speaking before endocrinologists of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) - Philippine Chapter, pharmaceutical company representatives and school officials at the launching of "Power of Prevention through Fitness and Nutrition" by the AACE, Angara who chairs the health budget in the Senate, said he will allocate additional public money towards more information and awareness efforts as well as research and development (R&D) to fight this looming epidemic.

"Power of Prevention through Fitness and Nutrition" is a project that aims to curb the obesity epidemic through awareness campaigns at elementary PE classes in an initial 25 participating schools around Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The program teaches 6th grade children of the importance of proper nutrition and regular exercise through a 5-day module to be included in their PE classes. Students who are found to have made significant improvements will be awarded the Senator Edgardo Angara Active Lifestyle Award (SEAALA).

Three out of 4 children aged 0-10 years, and 4 to 6 out of 100 adolescents in the Philippines are overweight. Obesity and overweight lead to serious problems such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, among others.