The Philippine Heart Association (PHA), in partnership with Golden Fiesta, SMS Philippines and other key stakeholders, successfully celebrated World Heart Day last September 29, 2024 at Tiendesitas, Pasig City, with a powerful call to “Use Heart for Action”. This celebration emphasizes the urgency of raising public awareness on heart health and accelerating actions for early prevention, detection, and management of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
Dra. Aurora Muriel S. Gamponia, PHA Secretary and Chair of World Heart Day, emphasized the importance of celebrating WHD 2024: “The Philippine Heart Association is committed to raising public awareness to combat cardiovascular diseases. Together with our partner organizations and companies, we will ensure that all Filipinos recognize the importance of heart health and the need for a balanced lifestyle, including a diet rich in heart-healthy foods with regular exercise. Engaging in heart-healthy discussions, activities, and educational initiatives on World Heart Day allows us to unite in the effort to reduce the burden of CVDs and improve the quality of life for all Filipinos.”
Aiming to promote heart-healthy practices amongst Filipinos, the event gathered medical professionals, heart-health advocates, fitness enthusiasts, and the public. The celebration offered a range of health services, including nutrition counseling, BMI evaluations, and comprehensive health assessments such as blood pressure checks, full blood panel tests, and ECG screenings led by medical experts, focusing on the prevention of CVDs and the benefits of maintaining a healthy heart.
This year’s World Heart Day initiative received generous support from Golden Fiesta, who played a key role in raising public awareness through providing qualified registered nutritionist-dieticians to conduct health and nutrition assessments, as well as heart-healthy cooking demo, emphasizing how small dietary changes can significantly improve overall health. Golden Fiesta also supported the event with canola oil products, underscoring the brand’s commitment to promoting nutritious choices. Canola oil is known for its heart-healthy properties such as phytosterols that may help reduce bad cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease with proper diet and exercise.
Ina Nocheseda, Brand Manager of Golden Fiesta, articulated the brand’s commitment in supporting the causes of PHA: “Golden Fiesta supports the Philippine Heart Association’s mission by encouraging Filipinos to embrace small yet meaningful lifestyle changes in their everyday cooking with the help of Golden Fiesta Canola Oil.”
At the heart of this success was the collaboration between Golden Fiesta and SMS Philippines, a partnership with a shared vision of promoting health and wellness for Filipinos that provided a strong foundation for all initiatives undertaken during the World Heart Day celebration.
Lia Rivera, Country Manager of SMS Philippines, reiterated the agency’s mission to promote health and wellness: “For over 10 years, SMS Philippines has been on a mission for a healthier Philippines. Today, we are very fortunate to be partnering with the Philippine Heart Association as we celebrate this year’s World Heart Day. SMS Philippines also acknowledges its longstanding partnership with Golden Fiesta, built on a shared purpose of promoting health and wellness in our community.”
