QUEZON CITY — Demonstrating that healthcare is most meaningful when it reaches the people who need it most, the Philippine College of Occupational Medicine (PCOM)-Quezon City Chapter successfully conducted Bantay Kalusugan: Caring for Your Health, Safety, and Wellness, benefiting residents of Barangay Roxas.
The community outreach initiative forms part of the chapter’s continuing advocacy to promote health, safety, and wellness beyond the workplace by bringing preventive healthcare directly to the grassroots. PCOM members, barangay officials led by Punong Barangay Dianne Regalado, volunteers, and partner organizations shared the commitment to building healthier and more informed communities.
This activity held last Saturday, July 4, was spearheaded by PCOM-QC Chapter officers – Drs. Neil Salarda, president; Rosalina Magnaye, vice president, and Lilibeth Joy Serrano, CSR and Advocacy Special Projects Committee chair. Also present were the medical group’s former presidents – Drs. Margaret Leachon, Marilen Cruz, and Rowena Blanco-Santos – to further underscore the chapter’s strong tradition of service, exemplifying the chapter’s enduring culture of unity, mentorship, and servant leadership.
As the PCOM is committed to make expertise of occupational medicine physicians more accessible to the public, health education took center stage. Four practical lectures designed to equip residents with knowledge they could immediately apply in their daily lives were conducted by Dr. Neil Salarda, Tubig at Kalusugan: Simple Habits for a Healthier Day; Ma. Queenie Rose de Jesus, on Pinggang Pinoy: A Simple Guide to Healthy Eating; Jennifer Chua, Tibay ng Buto, Tibay ng Katawan, and Dr. Marieglenn Tecson on the importance of regular blood pressure and weight monitoring.
There were also health stations that provided Bantay Kalusugan Monitoring Card and underwent blood pressure, weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) assessments. To complement was an SSS Information Station that provided assistance on health-related benefits, member inquiries, and benefit verification.
Throughout the program, community residents actively participated in all lectures and screening activities including an impromptu dance exercise that added energy, laughter, and a spirit of togetherness that made the event both educational and enjoyable.
More than providing free health screenings and information, Bantay Kalusugan sought to empower individuals to become active partners in safeguarding their own well-being by encouraging regular health monitoring, healthier lifestyle choices, and early disease prevention.
Building on the overwhelming success of the initiative, the PCOM-QC Chapter envisions Bantay Kalusugan as a sustained community advocacy that will extend its reach to more barangays and underserved sectors, including vendors, tricycle drivers, street sweepers, and other members of the informal workforce. The chapter hopes to inspire healthier lives, strengthen public health awareness, and contribute to building more resilient and healthier communities—one neighborhood at a time.
