Front (left to right): Carminda Gaite; Hayley Jones; Evita Ricafort; Charisse Olalia; and Mardy Halcon.
Back (left to right): Gel Ferrer; Ulysses Dorotheo; Darryl Barrett; Chris Fulluck; Ariel Ronquillo; Erwin Enad; Daniel Lising; Jekee Miraflor; Nathaniel Liberato; and Rollie dela Cruz.
On Tuesday, 10 September the McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer hosted an Alumni Event at the Australian Embassy in Manila, the Philippines.
We’ve trained over 170 government lawyers, policymakers and leaders from 65 low- and middle-income countries in the use of law to prevent cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), forming a global alumni network of knowledge, expertise and experience.
Representatives of the Australian Embassy; the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who support our Training Programs; and the World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO WPRO) joined the Alumni Event, meeting seven alumni to hear the changes they have effected to improve health outcomes in the Philippines.
The Australian Deputy Head of Mission for the Philippines, Richard Sisson, welcomed attendees, highlighting how crucial our Training Programs are to help tackle NCDs, which are responsible for 80 per cent of all deaths in the Western Pacific region.
Coordinator of the Health Law and Ethics Team at WHO WPRO, Darryl Barrett, also presented highlighting their main health and development priorities – including reducing the growing NCD burden – and how our alumni contribute to them.
Three alumni presented on their progress: Assistant Secretary of the Office of the President, Erwin Enad; Assistant Commissioner of the Civil Service Commission, Ariel Ronquillo; and Food & Drug Regulatory Officer, Jekee Miraflor.
The alumni spoke about the great strides they’ve made in improving health outcomes through effective legislative and policy change, such as increasing protection against tobacco industry interference; implementing smoke-free environments; and introducing regulations for e-cigarettes and vape products.
As well as providing a platform for our alumni to share their progress and deepen connections, the event also provided the opportunity for alumni and attending development partners to identify areas of collaboration.
During the week, we also held meetings with the Regional Director, Dr Takeshi Kasai, and staff of the WHO WPR Office, based in Manila, to discuss health and development priorities in the region and our role as the designated WHO Collaborating Centre on Law and Non-Communicable Diseases.