Pagkalma Month Exhibit Launch 2017: Protecting and Advancing Children’s Health

Aurora S. Nakpil,  Φ2017, Class 2022

Phi Service Month 2017 was officially launched last August 14, 2017, with the unveiling of the Pagkalma Month exhibit at the Calderon Hall of the UP College of Medicine. Sister Caritas Gianne Rosales Pagulayan Φ2016 and Senior Guardian of the Temple Edroico Mari Beltran Brillante Φ2015 led the ribbon-cutting event, and food and drinks were distributed to all of the attendees. The exhibit featured the individual service projects of both the Sorority and the Fraternity, as well as those of the joint service arm of Phi, Pagkalinga sa Kalusugan ng Mamamayan. The theme for the year, protecting and advancing children’s health was introduced and celebrated at this event, and efforts were made to further integrate the service projects into the individual advocacies of the Fraternity and the Sorority.

This year's Phi Service month will be featuring three Bloodline blood drives in three different venues: PGH atrium (August 29), UP Diliman (September 5), and Philippine Women's University (September 20). Also, a brand new joint project is being launched on September 12 - "Kabanata Para sa Kabataan." This event has the fraternity's Project Hero protagonist Sinag, and John and Peter from "John's Big Adventure", the sorority's storybook on leprosy awareness, all together for a joint storytelling activity for the children and parents of the Cancer Institute.

In addition to that, we will be having a seminar on September 8 in UP Diliman for EmpoweRED, our advocacy project geared towards stopping the stigma against HIV/AIDS. The sorority will also be having a Milk Drive on August 12 in Canossa, Tondo and a Milk Drop-Off in MTQ Parish, Greenhills on September 17 for their flagship project Milk Matters - an advocacy project for the promotion of breastfeeding through educational seminars  and the building of milk banks for mothers and babies in need.