March is Colon Cancer  Awareness Month Do you know that colon cancer is fast becoming the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the Philippines today? This is according to  Dr. Chanita Villegas-Chua, a fellow of the Philippine Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, of the Philippine Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and of the Philippine Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine.   Dr. Chua presented her findings to a select group of media practitioners recently in line with the celebration of the month of March  as Colon Cancer Awareness Month. According to Dr. Chua, colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is now the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the country that causes suffering to an estimated 8,000 newly diagnose patients alone this year.  While in the US it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women combined according to American Cancer Society. Colorectal cancer is a "food-related" cancer.  Everything one

I have always been a travel bug – traveling for every opportunity that I can for three decades now. Good thing I have a supportive husband and four kids who understand my job – and who are happy with the fulfillment that I get from my travels. One moment, I was up north in Quezon province enjoying the sights and sounds of rural life and the festivities of Pahiyas, Agawan, and Arana’t Baluarte – all in honor of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers as thanksgiving ceremonies for the good harvest. Pahiyas is the world-famous feast in Lucban, Quezon, where the Lucbanons decorate their houses with colorful kipings (leaf-shaped dried rice delicacy) along with fruits, vegetables and every harvest the farm may offer. In Sariaya, rural folks do their version with much vigor and enthusiasm. Guests may join the agawan by “snatching” the harvests from one another. Whoever outwits or lasts wrestling for the fruits or vegetables gets them. But Arana’t Baluarte tops the fun! A century