ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Vargas renews push for Breast Cancer Center bill ahead of World Cancer Day

Vargas renews push for Breast Cancer Center bill ahead of World Cancer Day

Published Feb 3, 2025 05:26 am

At A Glance

  • Quezon City 5th district Rep. PM Vargas renewed his push for the immediate approval of a measure aimed at establishing a mammography and breast cancer for his constituents in Novaliches, even as he cited the significance of World Cancer Day on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

FB_IMG_1738559271607.jpgQuezon City 5th district Rep. PM Vargas (Facebook)

Quezon City 5th district Rep. PM Vargas renewed his push for the immediate approval of a measure aimed at establishing a mammography and breast cancer for his constituents in Novaliches, even as he cited the significance of World Cancer Day on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

The measure, House Bill (HB) No.3500, titled "An Act Establishing a Mammography and Breast Cancer Center in Novaliches”, seeks to provide accessible, affordable, and quality breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and, treatment services for women in Quezon City and its neighboring areas.

“Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among Filipinas with thousands of new cases detected annually," Rep. Vargas said in a statement Monday, Feb. 3.

"Through this bill, we aim to bring essential breast cancer services, through early detection and proper treatment, particularly in District V, where access to specialized health care remains a challenge," he said.

World Cancer Day is observed every fourth of February to raise awareness about cancer, encourage its prevention and mobilize action to address the global cancer pandemic.

The envisioned Mammography and Breast Cancer Center will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for breast cancer screening, early diagnosis, and patient support programs.

It will also provide subsidized mammograms for indigent patients and conduct awareness campaigns to encourage early detection.

Recognizing the urgency of this measure, Rep. Vargas urges fellow legislators to support the swift passage of the bill as it is still pending with the House Committee on Health.

The fight against cancer is deeply personal for Rep. Vargas and his brother, former Congressman and now Councilor Alfred Vargas, who lost their mother to the disease.

During his tenure, Councilor Alfred Vargas was one of the principal authors of Republic Act (RA No.) 11215 known as the National Integrated Cancer Care Act, which is a landmark legislation that strengthened cancer prevention and treatment in the country.

“Having experienced it firsthand, we understand the emotional, physical, and financial toll that the disease takes in every affected family. As lawmakers, we are in a vantage point where we can champion stronger policies that ease the struggles of cancer patients and their loved ones,” stated Rep. Vargas.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2022, the Philippines had the highest incidence of breast cancer in Asia, while cancer in general was the third leading cause of death in the country.

Related Tags

World Cancer Day breast cancer PM Vargas
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.