The Hygeian
The official Newsletter of the Philippine Pharmacists Association, Inc.
April - December 2018
Pharmacists for Better Health
Outcomes
In this Issue:
FIP Congress 2018 2
Diabetes Care Training 3 Nearly 2,000 delegates from
PharmaRoadShow 2018 6 the Asian Pharmaceutical As-
YPG General Assemblies 11
BnB Relaunched
15
Upcoming Conferences:
 2019 PPhA National Convention; 30
April—4 May, 2019; SMX Convention
Center Davao City
 Asian Conference on Clinical Pharma-
cy (ACCP); 25-28 June 2019; Fiesta
Pavilion, Manila Hotel, Philippines
Link: http://www.accpasia.org/
 79th FIP World Congress of Pharmacy
and Pharmaceutical Sciences; 22 - 26
September 2019 Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates ; Link: https://
abudhabi2019.congress.pharmacy/
 Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical
Associations (FAPA) Congress 2020
Hong Kong
2020 is PPhA’s Centennial Year
Celebration!!!!
Volume 10, Issue 2
27th FAPA Congress successfully held in Manila
By: Vina Rose Dahilig
21 member countries partici-
pated in the 27th Federation of
sociation (FAPA) Congress
hosted by the Philippine Phar-
macists Association (PPhA).
The 27th Congress was held
last October 25 to 27, 2018 at
the Philippine International
Convention Center (PICC). The
congress started on October
23, 2018 with a FAPA Bureau
and council meetings where for the 16th FAPA Bureau. Prof. Industrial Pharmacy and Mar-
PPhA President Dr. Yolanda Ma. Rosario Barangan was keting in the same council
Robles became President elect also elected Section Chair on meeting. ...Continued on p.4
4K Pharmacists gather during the PPhA
NatCon 2018, Iloilo City
By: Cristan Agaceta The convention was graced by cacies especially the new phar-
internationally renowned macy law, which will enable
Iloilo City— Nearly 4,000 phar-
pharmacists Charles Sands III, the expansion of the pharma-
macists attended the PPhA
PharmD and Michael Houge, cists’ roles in the country. He
National Convention 2018 held
PharmD, as keynote speaker further declared that the Phil-
on May 1 to 5 at the Iloilo Con-
and plenary speaker, respec- ippines will soon become the
vention Center with a theme
tively. Pharmacist Sands is a leader in the expansion of
“Advancing Pharmacy Services
professor and the founding pharmacists’ roles in the entire
through Advocacy and Tech-
dean of the School of Pharma- of Asia, highlighting that ad-
nology.” Headed by then PPhA
cy, Division of Medical Scienc- vancement in the pharmacy
PRO, now executive secretary
es of the Pyongyang University practice in the country is faster
Pharmacist Paul Marvin T.
of Science and Technology in than any other Asian country
Quizon, the PPhA Natcon 2018
North Korea. In his keynote he knows of. He further shared
proved to be one of the most
lecture during the opening his expertise on the values and
successful conventions of the
ceremonies on May 3, 2018, ethics of interprofessional col-
PPhA receiving positive re-
he congratulated the Filipino laboration during the plenary
views from attendees.
Pharmacists and the associa- session 2 of the convention.
tion for their numerous advo-
 2
April - December 2018
Volume 10, Issue 2
PPhA President declared FAPA President-Elect for 2020
Manila, Philippines – Repre-
sentatives from 21 member-
countries elected Philippine
Pharmacists Association
(PPhA) President Dr. Yolanda
Robles as President-elect of
the Federation of the Asian
Pharmaceutical Association
(FAPA) during the first day of
the 27th FAPA Congress at the
Philippine International Con-
Filipinos Recognized during the FIP Congress 2018 in Glasgow, UK
Glasgow, UK – PPhA Former
President Leonila Ocampo was
elected as Executive Board
Member of the Community
Pharmacy Section (CPS) of the
International Pharmaceutical
Federation (FIP) during its an-
nual World Pharmacy and Phar-
maceutical Science Congress at
Glasgow, Scotland last Septem-
ber 2-6, 2018 with a theme
Pharmacy: Transforming Out-
comes! Former YPG officer Mac
Ardy Gloria and University of
San Carlos Faculty Member
Gerard Se were likewise award-
ed the Ton Hoek Scholarship
for Young Leaders and Best
Industrial Short Oral Presenta-
tion, respectively while PPhA
President Yolanda Robles
served as a panelist for the
“Women in Pharmacy Forum:
Equity Rx” during the said con-
gress.
For the first time in nearly 40
years, FIP World Congress was
held in the UK bringing togeth-
er pharmacy practitioners and
pharmaceutical scientists from
The Hygeian: News
vention Center last October
23, 2018. Dr. Robles, the cur-
rent Secretary-General of
FAPA, will succeed current
President Mohamad Dani
Pratomo of Indonesia at the
end of his term for the 15th
FAPA Bureau on 2020. Known
for her advocacies in health
policies, pharmacy education
and pharmacy practice, Dr.
over 100 countries to look at
extending the role of pharma-
cists so they play a fuller part in
ensuring patients - and health
systems - achieve full benefit
from medicines. Every year, a
select few oral and poster pre-
senters are recognized by a
panel of judges to be awarded
as best presentation in the
different sections. Pharmacist
Gerard Lee See receive this
recognition for his presentation
on “Iontophoresis-assisted de-
livery of pilocarpine to the eye-
ball through eyelid skin.” Fur-
thermore, as President of the
Philippine Pharmacists Associa-
tion, Pharmacist Yolanda Ro-
bles shared her insights about
the role of professional bodies
in progressing gender equity
for the pharmacy workforce on
a national level, particularly
policy and how professional
bodies can work together with
FIP to address issues facing the
global female workforce.
Pharmacist Ocampo, who
emerged as 2nd highest vote
Robles served as the former
Dean of the UP College of
Pharmacy and former Presi-
dent of the Philippine Associa-
tion of Colleges of Pharmacy.
She was also instrumental in
the passage of RA 10918 or
the New Philippine Pharmacy
Law. Currently, she serves as
the Honorary Advisor of the
Asian Association of Schools
earner from the 5 new board
members of the CPS, will serve
a total of 4 years together with
the highest vote earner. The 3rd
-4th new members, and the 5th
new member shall serve 2years
and 1 year, respectively. Phar-
macist Ocampo’s experience as
PPhA’s President in lobbying for
policy and competency frame-
works development to
strengthen practice standards
in the Philippines may have
contributed in earning the trust
of the international pharma-
cists-colleagues. She would be
contributing her insights in how
to The FIP CPS will have its first
of Pharmacy, Country Chair
and Past President of the
Asian Conference on Clinical
Pharmacy (ACCP). She also
worked with the Philippine
Department of Health as a
member of the National For-
mulary Committee and a re-
searcher and trainor in phar-
maceutical supply chain man-
agement.
executive meeting in Manila,
Philippines on February 17-20,
2019.
The FIP Foundation award a
scholarship to assist young
pharmacists or pharmaceutical
scientists in traveling to the FIP
Congress. The objective of
awarding the Ton Hoek Scholar-
ship for Global Leadership is to
permit the recipient to travel to
the FIP Congress in order to
develop, or to help others to
develop, skills and/or
knowledge in line with the ob-
jectives of the Foundation.
Pharmacist Mac Ardy Gloria is
the first Filipino recipient of the
said award.

Pharmacists for Diabetes Care Training Launched with PSEDM
PPhA partnered with the Philip-
pine Society of Endocrinology,
Diabetes and Metabolism
(PSEDM) in the development
and delivery of a training pro-
gram for pharmacy-based Dia-
betes Care for Mercury Drug-
store Corporation (MDC) phar-
macists. The partnership was
initiated through the collabora-
tion between PSEDM’s former
President Dr. Cecilia Jimeno
and PPhA President Yolanda
Robles, who are colleagues in
the University of the Philip-
pines. The program consisted
of topics ranging from contex-
tualizing therapeutic inten-
tions, management of compli-
cations, patient counselling and
medication adherence strate-
gies to improve diabetes care.
It also featured skills-training
on insulin administration and
pharmacy-based screening
activities. Furthermore, pro-
gram management compo-
nents like documenting and
reporting outcomes were also
included. This holistic approach
in the curriculum design aimed
to ensure sustainable applica-
tion of the knowledge, skills
and attitudes learned through
the program.
The said training curriculum
was adapted from PSEDM’s
diabetes educator program and
was contextually designed for
its applicability for the imple-
mentation of pharmacy-based
initiatives by PPhA committee
chair on Pharmacy Workforce
Education, Pharmacist Cristan
The Hygeian: News
Agaceta. The final training pro-
gram consisted of 18 learning
modules, developed and deliv-
ered by members of PSEDM
and PPhA, which is intended to
be completed within 2 levels of
training with 2 whole day ses-
sions each (total of 4 days). The
implementation of the training
program was made possible
through the management of
partnerships of PPhA board of
trustee member and PRO Bry-
an Posadas with support from
the pharmaceutical company,
MSD. Among the other contrib-
utors and trainers included
PPhA Executive Director Karen
Esteban-Romero, PPhA Board
of Trustee Oscar Ocampo, and
Speakers’ Bureau members
Arianne Diane Aninon, Maria
Fey Nenette Maximo-Cariaga,
Isaac Ireneo Linatoc, Michelle
Jose, Nelson Tubon and PPhA
Advocacy on Medication Ad-
herence co-chair, Frances Lois
Ngo. A training of trainers and
facilitators was conducted pri-
or to the implementation of
the program organized through
the advocacy group with its
members participating as facili-
tators during the conduct of
the training program.
This inter-professional educa-
tion effort highlights PPhA’s
commitment to find opportuni-
ties for collaboration in order
to realize the expansion of the
pharmacists’ roles in health
care, as provided for in the
new Pharmacy Law, RA 10918.
The first “Get Well at Mercury
April - December 2018
Volume 10, Issue 2
Drug Diabetes Care” corner
was launched at Mercury Drug-
store Ayala Center Glorietta in
Makati. More than 200 MDC
pharmacists have been trained
and successfully completed the
program from July to October
2018. President Robles empha-
sized that “Empowering Filipi-
no Pharmacists through CPE is
really one of the priorities of
PPhA. The training we designed
for MDC pharmacists is highly
specialized as it really defined
the role of the community
pharmacist in the holistic man-
agement of diabetes.” Presi-
dent Robles finds this oppor-
tunity as a way to demonstrate
that pharmacists can respond
to the call of their expanding
roles in patient care.
While research suggests that
lack of support by physicians
and other health care profes-
sionals is considered the major
barrier in the provision of phar-
maceutical care in the Philip-
pines, this multi-stakeholder
collaboration among pharma-
cists, physicians, retail and
pharmaceutical industry part-
ners shows promise in the
recognition of the critical roles
pharmacists in healthcare de-
livery by other members of the
healthcare team and industry.
This is in line with President
Robles’ leadership motto
“Moving forward, together”
which is rightfully supported by
Dr. Jimeno. The physician rec-
ognizes that the “pharmacist is
key in helping to ensure that
3
patients understand not only
the characteristics of their
drugs, the adverse drug reac-
tions and the instructions on
how to take them. Patients
with diabetes also have many
other questions about various
aspects of their disease and the
pharmacists may be able to
answer them or at least direct
them to reliable sources of
information.” She further sug-
gest that pharmacists are in
the best position to promote
and encourage medication
adherence among patients,
and in the future will be key in
screening complications and
making referrals to other mem-
bers of diabetes care team.
MDC President Vivian Que-
Azcona, who is also a pharma-
cist herself, proudly says that
“At the heart of this patient-
centered offering are pharma-
cists who’ve been trained by
experts.” This is within the con-
text that as company continues
to expand and modernize,
Mercury Drug has not for-
gotten the pharmacists as the
heart of their business.
President Robles is hoping that
this is just the start of many
other projects and partnerships
which provide for the expan-
sion of pharmacists roles in the
Philippines, emphasizing that
she is one and supportive to all
who aims to develop special-
ized areas of pharmacy prac-
tice in the country.
 4
April - December 2018
Volume 10, Issue 2
27th FAPA Congress successfully held in Manila... Continued from p.1
A pre-congress session and
workshop was held on Octo-
ber 24 with the topic:
“Highlighting the Vital Role
Of Asian Pharmacists in Disas-
ter Management.” The pre-
congress session culminated
with the drafting of the FAPA
Position Paper for strengthen-
ing the participation of phar-
macists in disaster manage-
ment.
The 27th FAPA Congress was
officially declared by President
Mr. Joseph Wang during the
opening ceremony on October
25. Hon. Francisco Duque III,
Philippine Secretary of Health
emphasized during his key-
note that pharmacists are
very much needed in the
achievement of sustainable
development goals. Anchoring
on the 27th congress theme of
“Pharmacists for the Global
Goals: Creating Value beyond
Health”, keynote lecturer, Dr.
Wenchen Kenneth Wu, Asso-
ciate Professor and Chair of
the Department of Pharmacy
Administration and Public
Health of the College of Phar-
macy and Health Sciences of
St. John’s University, USA,
highlighted the pharmacists’
roles in addressing health dis-
parities with their excellent
clinical training and unique
professional status.
Exemplary Asian pharmacists
who have made significant
contributions in the field of
Hospital Pharmacy, Pharma-
ceutical Research, Industrial
Pharmacy, Pharmacy Educa-
tion and Community Pharma-
cy were recognized during the
The Hygeian: News
Congress through the FAPA
Ishidate Awards. From the
Philippines, Prof. Roderick
Salenga was selected as the
recipient of the 2018 FAPA
Ishidate Award for Pharmacy
Education for his outstanding
work in the drafting and sub-
sequent implementation of
various public health policies,
spearheading the creation of
the Philippine Pharmacy Prac-
tice Standards and promoting
good pharmacy practice
through his lectures and re-
search in the academe. The
other awardees were Majiri
Gharat of India for Communi-
ty Pharmacy, Yuh-Lih Chang of
Taiwan for Hospital Pharmacy,
Sumana Khomvilai of Thailand
for Pharmaceutical Industry,
Dong Churl Suh of South Ko-
rea for Pharmaceutical Re-
search. Dr. Nobuo Yamamoto
from Japan and Dr. Chan Hwi
Cho from South Korea were
given the FAPA Lifetime
Achievement Award, respec-
tively.
The Deans’ Forum, Asian
Young Pharmacists Group
Meeting, FAPA College of
Pharmacy Meeting, GPP Fo-
rum and subsequent parallel
sessions were conducted on
October 26. The congress for-
mally ended with a Gala din-
ner for all participants on Oc-
tober 27, 2018.

By: Paul Marvin Quizon
The new PPhA Board together
with the PPhA Council of Ad-
visers, Former Board Mem-
bers and Affiliate Presidents
met on 25 August 2018 at Las
Casas de Filipinas de Acuzar in
Bataan for the Strategic Plan-
ning for the Term 2018-2020.
Dr. Yolanda R. Robles led the
team in revisiting the mission
of PPhA and the planning for
the 2020 PPhA Centennial
Celebration. Mr. George Mer-
cado and Mr. Deivid Rioferio
guided the team in its SWOT
Analysis and formulation of
First Muilti-sectoral Pharmacy Infor-
mation Summit held in Metro Manila
The PPhA Advocacy group
on pharmacy information
services conducted its First
Muilti-sectoral Pharmacy
Information Summit at The
Eye, Green Sun Hotel, Ma-
kati, Metro Manila on Sep-
tember 25, 2018.
The summit was attend by
different stakeholders which
include pharmacists repre-
senting community, hospi-
tal, academe, industry, and
institutional practice, pa-
tients, other healthcare
professionals (PMA, PNA,
PSEDM, PCCP, etc.), and
government agencies
5
April - December 2018
The Hygeian: News Volume 10, Issue 2
2018 PPhA Strategic Planning
strategies that are aligned
with PPhA’s mission state-
ments. As a sign of the team’s
commitment to achieve its
goals, 3 milestone check-
points were plotted to moni-
tor the progress of the strate-
gies as well as to ensure the
completion of the team’s de-
liverables. The first milestone
checkpoint was already held
this year at the Bayleaf Hotel
in Intramuros, Manila on 24
November 2018. The major
output for the session was
the development of PPhA’s ence point for all organiza- checkpoints would be on 23
Logical Framework Map tional initiatives and resource February 2019 and 25 May
which will serve as the refer- planning. The next milestone 2019
(PDEA, DDB). The event
provided an opportunity to
showcase the services that
can be offered by a Phar-
macy Information Center,
gather feedback and estab-
lish partnerships with differ-
ent stakeholders to eventu-
ally come up with a directo-
ry of stakeholders and/or
partners of the Pharmacy
Information Center. PPhA
is working on establishing
a Pharmacy Information
Center, through a grant
from Pfizer Global, which
would support the infor-
mation needs on medicines
as needed by healthcare
practitioners, especially
 6
April - December 2018

Volume 10, Issue 2

The Hygeian: Features

PharmaRoadShow 2018
By: Karen Romero-Esteban For this year’s celebration of the 98th Anniversary of PPhA and the World Pharmacists Day, PPhA decid-
ed to conduct a Pharma Roadshow as a major activity for the period, 29 th August – 25th September 2018 with the theme, The Filipi-
no Pharmacist: Your Caring Medication Experts. The Pharma Roadshow is a program that has been practiced by the PPhA Davao
City chapter with the objective of promoting awareness of the value of pharmacists and their services to the community through
health education, counseling, and interactive activities for the people of their chosen barangays. The activity also allows the phar-
macist to move from behind the pharmacy counter to interact with participants of the activity allowing them to have an insight of
the health care needs of their community.

PPhA encouraged the local chapters and affiliate organizations to conduct the Pharma Roadshow in one or two barangays of their
choice. The activity would include a motorcade, lectures, and other activities of their choice. The different advocacy groups were
also tapped to help with (1) the design of the tarpaulin to be used to announce the Pharma Roadshow (Pharmacy Information Ser-
vices) and (2) to develop modules for the lectures on (a) the Value of Vaccination (Immunization Advocacy Group) and (b) Antimi-
crobial Resistance (Medication Adherence Advocacy Group).

A summary of the post activity reports submitted by the participating chapters revealed the following:

28 out of the 85 chapters, and 2 out of the 10 affiliate organizations joined the activity
735 pharmacists and over 100 pharmacy students joined the pharma roadshow, with Zamboanga with the most number of
pharmacists (75 pharmacists)
38 barangays, 1 city jail, 2 elementary schools, and 2 hospitals participated in the lectures and other activities of the Pharma
Roadshow
38 barangays received at least one lecture of the two modules developed for the Roadshow
3,378 participants from the community joined in the Pharma Roadshow, with South Cotabato documenting about 400 partici-
pants in their area
 7
April - December 2018
The Hygeian: Features Volume 10, Issue 2

The Pharma Roadshow 2018 is the first nationwide activity of PPhA where the local chapters and affiliate organizations were en-
couraged to deliver the same modules to participants from identified barangays. Feedback from the participants indicate how
grateful they are for being able to talk to pharmacists and have their medications and health concerns addressed. They left for their
own homes after the activity knowing that should they have any questions or concerns in the future, they could always go to the
pharmacy and look for the pharmacist. Also, a request for more similar engagements in the future were received by PPhA.

Pharmacists who joined the Pharma Roadshow felt their value for they have contributed to the health outcome of their patients by
helping them have a better understanding of why vaccines are important and why they can no longer buy antibiotics without a
prescription from a doctor. The pharmacists look forward to having more patient encounters and join similar activities in the fu-
ture. Overall, the activity was able to satisfy the goal of the FIP for the celebration of the World Pharmacists Day, that of promoting
and advocating for the role of the pharmacist in helping improve patient health outcomes, and for letting the Filipino community
get to know their pharmacist as a caring medication expert.
 8
April - December 2018
Volume 10, Issue 2
4K Pharmacists gather during … continued from p.1
Pharmacist Houge, on the
other hand, talked about the
contribution of pharmacists
as immunizers. He was origi-
nally involved in the launching
of the national immunization
training program for pharma-
cists in the US through the
American Pharmacists Associ-
ation, which to date success-
fully secured the need and
acceptance of the pharma-
cists’ critical roles in the US
public health especially when
it comes to vaccination. In the
Philippines, RA 10918 allows
the Filipino Pharmacists to
become adult immunizers,
however, practitioners must
complete an accredited train-
ing certification. Hence during
the convention, the training
modules for immunizing phar-
macists in the Philippines was
officially launched by the
PPhA advocacy group on im-
munization, headed by the
PPhA Executive Director, Ka-
ren Grace Esteban-Romero.
Members of the other advo-
cacy groups were invited to
present their current compo-
sition, objectives and plans to
the officers, board of direc-
tors and presidents and rep-
resentatives of the different
PPhA chapters during the
President’s Night.
Several other local and inter-
national experts shared their
knowledge during the plenary
sessions covering the differ-
The Hygeian: news
ent CPD areas. For enhancing
professional and technical
competence, Vasil Rusinov,
COO of mClinica presented
their company’s efforts on
strengthening pharmacy prac-
tice through technology.
Pharmacist Doralyn Dalisay,
DOST Balik Scientist and Pro-
fessor at University of San
Agustin likewise shared her
current achievements in
translational research. Phar-
macist Dalisay is currently
working on discovering new
antibiotics from marine sedi-
ments of the Philippines
through their laboratory
named after herself at the
University of San Agustin. In
the open forum following the
first session, the possibility of
creating an advocacy group
on drug discovery was men-
tioned and President Robles
publicly invited Pharmacist
Dalisay to consider spear-
heading such an advocacy
group in recognition of the
pharmacists roles in drug dis-
covery and development.
PPhA President Yolanda Ro-
bles later lead the CPD area
on enhancing ethical and reg-
ulatory competence through
her presentation on “Integrity
in multi-stakeholder partner-
ships.” She was enjoined in
the session by Pharmacists
Sands and by Mr. Deivid Ri-
oferio. The second day of the
convention was concluded

April - December 2018
The Hygeian: news Volume 10, Issue 2
with the oral presentations of
Executive Director Karen
Grace Esteban-Romero on
“Achieving better health out-
comes through pharmacist-
led initiatives and programs”
and Executive Secretary Paul
Marvin Quizon on “Biowaiver
monograph development.”
The last day of the conven-
tion featured a diverse set of
speakers which included
Pharmacists Diane Marie Gar-
gya, an alumna of the Univer-
sity of the Philippines who
shared about pharmacy-
based diabetes care in Aus-
tralia. The said session which
is under the CPD area on en-
vironmental factors and glob-
al trends in the profession
was further enhanced by the
discussion of Pharmacist
James Pasamonte on applying
Lean and Six Sigma Systems
to pharmacy practice. Mr.
Dave Vincent Mangilet, a pro-
fessor of the De La Salle Uni-
versity Graduate School of
Business and a Director in
Pfizer Inc. shared his views on
training the millennial work-
force. The final plenary ses-
sion, focusing on the social
and administrative skills, in-
volved Mr. Tomas Marcelo
Agana, III of Pharex Health
Corporation, AGHAM Party-
list representative Angelo
Palmones, and Pharmacist
Roderick Salenga of the
World Health Organization
who discussed topics on pub-
lic relations, engaging media
9
and influence and confluence,
respectively.
PPhA elections were also held
during the said convention,
and six new board of trustees
were elected namely Paul
Marvin Quizon (re-elected),
Marilyn Tiu (re-elected), Hel-
en Mita Reyes, Oscar Ocam-
po, Ma. Gilda Saljay and Aleth
Therese Dacanay. Maria
Donabelle Dean, Genoveva
Declarador and Zenaida Lu-
macang were also elected as
Vice Presidents for Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao, re-
spectively.
The national convention was
also packed with different
activities like the Gala Night
hosted by the Iloilo-Guimaras
PPhA Chapter and the YPG
Night organized by the Young
Pharmacists Group which
provided opportunities for
pharmacists to network and
have fun. The PPhA board
members and officers show-
cased their talents in a spec-
tacular dance presentation
during the said gala night.
The PPhA National Conven-
tion 2019 will be held on April
30 to May 4, 2019 at SMX
convention center Davao City
with a theme “Unleash the
hero in you: Pharmacists Ris-
ing Beyond Expectations”
focusing on how pharmacists
are able to go beyond the call
of duty to advance the phar-
macy profession locally and
internationally.
 10
April - December 2018
Volume 10, Issue 2
Revisions to the BSP Curriculum submitted to CHED,
CMO pending release
April - December 2018—The
Technical Committee on
Pharmacy Education (TCPE)
filed the revised version of
the Policies, Standards and
Guidelines (PSGs) for the B.S.
Pharmacy Program to the
Commission on Higher Educa-
tion (CHED) to accommodate
changes brought about by the
implementation of K-12 basic
education program as well as
the provisions in the Philip-
pine Pharmacy Act or Repub-
lic Act No. 10918, including
alignment with Training Regu-
lations (TR) for NC III Pharma-
cy Services; Republic Act (RA
No. 7796), otherwise known
as the TESDA Act, which per-
tains to the “Establishment
and Administration of the
National Trade Skills Stand-
ards”, and Republic Act No.
10647, otherwise known as
the “Ladderized Education
Act of 2014. The PSGs specify
the minimum standards and
other requirements for higher
education institutions (HEIs)
in offering the BS Pharmacy
program, an outcome-based
education program with at
least four (4) years with 175
credit units, equivalent to
1,407 hours. The curriculum
covers lecture and laboratory
hours and internship of 1,200
hours on the fourth (4th) year.
The program offers a good
The Hygeian: News
mix of general education
courses, which have relevant
applications in the profession
of pharmacy, and profession-
al courses, that will help pre-
pare the graduates in acquir-
ing competencies necessary
in the workplace. However,
the CHED Memorandum Or-
der (CMO) containing the
details of the approved PSGs
are yet to be released.
The revision was filed after
the approval of the original
proposed PSGs in May 2017
to implement a minimum 5-
year B.S. Pharmacy program.
According to the deans and
administrators of some
schools of pharmacy, mostly
from the members of, the
Philippine Association of Col-
leges of Pharmacy (PACOP), a
five-year program may cause
a decline in the interest of
incoming college students to
enroll in B.S. Pharmacy due to
the additional year that will
increase the cost of educa-
tion. The original five (5) year
program was meant to re-
spond to the changing de-
mands and the expanded
roles of the pharmacist based
on, at that time, the antici-
pated approval of the new
Pharmacy Law R.A. 10918.
Some examples of these new
roles include the pharmacists’
roles in adult vaccination, administration and facilities
patient medication counsel- of the HEIs.
ing, among others, and to
Curricular revisions to align
align the curricular program
with relevant professional
of the Philippines with that of
and societal needs and ex-
the neighboring Asia-Pacific
isting laws and regulations
countries. After re-evaluation
include: integration of cours-
and consultation with key
es, adjustments in credit units
stakeholders, CHED has yet to
in some courses to accommo-
approve the adoption of a
date new and relevant topics,
minimum 4-year BSP curricu-
and institution of new cours-
lum, leaving the choice to the
es, such as, Social and Admin-
school if they would intend to
istrative Pharmacy, Cosmetic
offer a 4-year or 5-year pro-
Product Development, Health
gram and for as long as the
Technology Assessments,
prescribed program out-
Health Policy and Pharmaco-
comes will be complied with.
economics, Legal Pharmacy &
The last 2 semesters during
Ethics, Pharmaceutical Manu-
the last year of the new BS
facturing with Quality Assur-
pharmacy curriculum shall
ance, Clinical Pharmacy and
accommodate internship or
Pharmacotherapeutics I & II,
supervised experiential learn-
Public Health Pharmacy and
ing, covering five (5) areas of
Pharmacoepidemiology,
pharmacy practice and corre-
among others.
sponding total number of
hours, respectively: commu- The CHED-TCPE is comprised
of the following: Chair, Dr.
nity (300) , hospital (300),
Imelda G. Peña (PPhA repre-
industrial (300), institutional
sentative and Former PACOP
(120), regulatory & public
President), Members, Dr.
health pharmacy (180), total- Aleth Therese Dacanay
ing 1200 hours requirement (PACOP President, Dean of
before graduation. The PSGs UST Faculty of Pharmacy &
will have its effectivity Medical Technology; Dean
starting schoolyear 2018 – Yolanda Deliman (University
2019, with a three-year tran- of San Carlos) and Dr. Mildred
Oliveros, representative of
sitory provision for schools to
PRC-Professional Regulatory
fully comply with the stipulat-
Board of Pharmacy.
ed requirements, not only
pertaining to the curriculum
but also in the operations or

RPh for Mental Health conducts Training of Trainers
By: Donato Legaspi
Last November 10 and 17,
RPh for Mental Health, the
Philippine Pharmacists Associ-
ation’s Mental Health Advoca-
cy Team, conducted its first
core training of trainers on
mental health and psycho-
pharmacology.
The first lecturer is Dr. Gerar-
do Salazar, from the Philip-
pine Psychiatric Association
Inc. (PPA), with fellowships in
both Neurology and Psychia-
try in the Philippines and
abroad. The second lecturer is
Jarvin Tan, President of RPh
for Mental Health and Pro-
gram Director of Youth for
Mental Health Coalition
Mental Health Law passed in June 2018, Pharmacists’ roles emphasized in IRR
By Jarvin Tan
The Mental Health Law
(Republic Act 11036) was offi-
cially signed by President
Duterte last June 21, 2018
providing legal framework for
mental health services to be
more accessible and more
affordable to all Filipinos.
Pharmacists have very im-
portant roles in the imple-
mentation of the Mental
Health law. Pharmacists can
help provide more accessible
mental health services, such
as ensuring a sustainable sup-
ply chain management of psy-
chotropics and medication-
The Hygeian: News
(Y4MH), and who is currently
taking up his masters on Clini-
cal Psychology in UST. Both
lecturers provided technical
expertise on topics about the
pathology and pharmacology
of mental health disorders:
schizophrenia, depression,
bipolar disorder, anxiety and
anxiety-related disorders.
Two guest speakers were also
invited to give inspirational
talks on mental health advo-
cacy and service user engage-
ment. They were Dr. Gia
Sison, national adviser to the
Y4MH, and Manong Ari Ver-
zosa, mental health advocate
and father of Kylie Verzosa
(who spearheaded a Face-
counseling by appropriately-
trained and qualified regis-
tered pharmacist, the latter of
which is specified in IRR of the
new law.
The recent trend on focusing
on mental health issues as
legitimate disorders that can
be treated with the proper
care and medication, pharma-
cists would have to step up
and engage with patients and
their medication needs. RPh
for Mental Health, the PPhA
advocacy group headed by
Jarvin Tan, served as commu-
nication link with the local
chapters and the affiliate or-
April - December 2018
Volume 10, Issue 2
book page called “Mental
Health Matters By Kylie Ver-
zosa”, a page responsible in
reaching out to patients or
service users to profession-
als). They gave talks on men-
tal health advocacy and ser-
vice user engagement, to in-
spire the pharmacists in their
goal of providing quality and
caring service to service users.
Other than the informative
lectures and inspirational
talks, the two-day seminar
also conducted workshops, so
the participants could have a
better grasp on the topics
before the posttest was con-
ducted. Nineteen out of the
twenty-five pharmacists who
ganizations of PPhA during
the formation of the IRR of
the law.
The said law makes it illegal to
discriminate people on the
basis of their mental health.
Also, relevant to practice and
training are the provisions on
integration of mental health
into schools and the work-
place. On top of non-technical
mental health topics requiring
integration at all levels of all
educational institutions, all
allied health courses
(pharmacy included) are now
required to cover topics on
psychiatry and neurology and
11
participated in this event
passed the posttest and are
capable of providing lectures
on mental health disorders
and psychopharmacy.
The training will serve as the
foundation for both future
trainings for pharmacists in
the field to become readily
available psychotropic medi-
cation experts, and more so,
working with mental health
service user groups to turn
these learnings into tangible
outcomes.
For inquiries on their activi-
ties, RPh for Mental Health
may be contacted through
their email address: men-
talhealth@philippinepharmac
ists.org.
should be given the same fo-
cus as other important diseas-
es such as infectious diseases,
cancer, diabetes, etc. It is pos-
sible, as recommended in the
IRR, that mental health issues
will be integrated into the
various relevant modules of
the Pharmacist Licensure Ex-
amination and other allied
health board exams.
It is the responsibility of phar-
macists to prepare themselves
with knowledge on mental
health to better spread
awareness and provide quality
care to patients.
 12
April - December 2018
Volume 10, Issue 2
Pres. Robles: ‘Pharmacists are willing to help patients in their
Antibiotic Medicine Use’
PPhA President Yolanda Ro-
bles encouraged patients to
‘be more active in asking
questions about their medi-
cines’ during the World Anti-
biotic Awareness Week Press
Conference held last Nov. 7,
2018 at the New World Ma-
kati Hotel emphasizing that
‘pharmacists are willing to
help patients’ whenever they
have queries on their health
and antibiotic medicine use.
This is in recognition of the
fact that antimicrobial re-
sistance (AMR) is becoming a
YPG’s Advanced Pharmaceutical Business Management
Interprofessional Workshop conducted in AIM
By Maria Najela L. Mawirat,
RPh and Giles Gonzales, RPh
The Young Pharmacists’
Group Philippines, in collabo-
ration with one of the leading
business schools in the world-
the Asian Institute of Man-
agement (AIM), came togeth-
er to develop and nurture
promising catalysts - the
young pharmacists with an
Interprofessional Workshop
Seminar, themed "Advanced
Pharmaceutical Business
Management" last October
20, 2018, at AIM campus Pa-
seo de Roxas at the Central
Business District of Makati
City.
President of AIM, Prof. Ken-
neth Hartigan-Go, MD, pre-
sented on “Developing Lead-
ership Agility and Team Dy-
namics in the Pharmaceutical
Industry” highlighting the
essence of teamwork and
The Hygeian: News
major global health concerns
and that pharmacists are in
an important position to help
addressing the problem. The
said conference aimed to
provide an avenue for dis-
cussing the importance of
responsible antibiotic use,
antimicrobial resistance and
stewardship initiatives in the
Philippines. It was attended
by several members of the
mass media, hosted by Nina
Corpuz and was organized
through Pfizer, Inc.
leadership and stressing on
the improvement of manage-
ment skills of a leader by
working on the sense of criti-
cal thinking and methodolo-
gy.
Prof. Mariano Bolante shared
his expertise in the broad
world of finance and business
through his topic “Managing
Costs and Profits for Pharma-
cists” focusing on profitability
management, divided into 3
main ideas, namely assess-
ment of profitability, assess-
ment of levels of sustainabil-
ity and utilization of re-
sources. He stressed the im-
portance of knowing and un-
derstanding assets-the indica-
tives of how the company
invests its money and deter-
mining the company’s liquidi-
ty and equity, which ensures
the company stability
through the use of balance
According to the WHO, each
November, World Antibiotic
Awareness Week (WAAW)
aims to increase global
awareness of antibiotic re-
sistance and to encourage
best practices among the
general public, health work-
ers and policy makers to
avoid the further emergence
and spread of antibiotic re-
sistance. World Antibiotic
Awareness Week is all about
increasing global awareness
of antibiotic resistance and
encouraging best practices to
sheet, income statement,
cash flow statement.
Mr. Neil Fidelle G. Lomibao,
RPh, the YPG Philippines Ex-
ternal Linkages Head and a
current student of Masters of
Science in Innovation and
Business in AIM tackled
“Patient-Centered Design,
Thinking and Product Service
Development”, merging the
current innovation he has
been learning, propelling it
into pharmacy practice. Final-
ly, Prof Christopher Mon-
help fight it.
The press conference was
graced by Dr. Mario Pana-
ligan, PSMID President and
Dr. Berba, Chair of DOH AMS
Steering committee, who
discussed on the general con-
cepts about AMR and the on-
going efforts in antimicrobial
stewardship among hospitals
in the Philippines, respective-
ly. This was then followed by
President Robles discussing
the PPhA efforts in com-
batting AMR in the country.
terola, PhD., updated phar-
macists on “Data Science and
Big Data in the Pharmacy
Practice” discussing how data
science enables artificial intel-
ligence and how these can be
used to impact businesses for
the improvement of the abil-
ity to make accurate, fast
predictions and make new
insights in prediction of dis-
ease propensity, drug toler-
ance and drug designs, and
other applications.

4 Assemblies in 2018: YPG-Philippines reinforces pharmacist roles, network
By: Jasmin Kae Sistoso, RPh
Four general assemblies (GA)
of YPG were successfully ac-
complished in a span of five
(5) months with the intent to
provide targeted not only in
providing quality CPD-
accredited seminars on timely
and relevant pharmaceutical
issues as well as to reinforce
camaraderie among young
Filipino pharmacists.
YPG NCR and South Luzon
GA: “Encouraging Phar-
macists’ Involvement in
Pharmacovigilance”
Last 22nd of September 2018,
YPG-Manila Chapter orga-
nized the first GA in the se-
ries, setting the platform for
young pharmacists to recog-
nize their important roles in
the pharmacovigilance pro-
cess. From understanding the
risks posed by drug products
and the procedures entailed
upon detecting one to filling
out forms for Adverse Drug
Reactions (ADRs) and knowing
the actions involved upon the
submission of reports to Food
and Drug Administration
(FDA), young pharmacists
were able to grasp their posi-
tions in the healthcare arena
as healthcare professionals
devoted to providing safe,
effective, and quality medi-
cines at all times and at all
costs. Moreover, inter-
professional collaboration
The Hygeian: News
was promoted to achieve
optimum therapeutic out-
comes for the patients.
YPG North and Central Luzon
GA: “Roles of Pharma-
cists in Disaster Prepar-
edness and Response”
YPG-Philippines, with the help
of the Benguet Chapter,
brought the concepts of Risk
Reduction Management, Inci-
dent Command System, and
Hierarchical Disaster Re-
sponse all the way to Baguio
City last September 29-30,
2018. The Philippine Pharma-
cists Association (PPhA) advo-
cacy on disaster management
and the roles of pharmacists
in its four phases, medication
management during disaster,
inventory management in the
context of disaster in the Phil-
ippines, and the need for
pharmacists to acquire train-
ings on basic life support
were the topics presented
during the seminar that chal-
lenged young pharmacists to
take expanded roles before,
during, and after a disaster.
YPG Visayas GA: “The IDEAL
Pharmacists: Champion-
ing Effective Community
Pharmacy Operations
Toward Antimicrobial
Stewardship”
Challenge is an understate-
ment when pharmacists en-
counter insistent patients
asking for antimicrobial
13
April - December 2018
Volume 10, Issue 2
agents without presenting
any prescription as well as the
still-ongoing issue on antimi-
crobial resistance. That is why
YPG-Philippines provided a
helping hand to the Depart-
with heart patients. On the
ment of Health and the PPhA
24th of November 2018, the
Advocacy on Medication Ad-
overview of the cardiovascu-
herence to guide young phar-
lar diseases (CVD) including
macists in effectively handling
comprehensive CVD patho-
patients as well as refreshing
physiology, interventions, and
their minds regarding the
prevention was delivered to
Antimicrobial Stewardship
educate the young front-
advocacy last November 17-
liners of healthcare on ways
18, 2018.
of translating to patients the
YPG Mindanao GA: “Affairs nature of the disease, preven-
of the Heart: A Pharma- tive actions, and proper use of
cist’s Role in Cardiovas- medications. Medication rec-
cular Care” onciliation and counseling
patients with CVD were also
YPG-Philippines unraveled
tackled to help them achieve
another important issue con-
better health outcomes.
cerning pharmacists dealing
 14
April - December 2018

Volume 10, Issue 2

The Hygeian: Features

Young Pharmacists Group-Philippines: From Humble Beginnings to

Continuing the Legacy
By Vladimir Guillermo, RPh Standards” (2010) ering the next generation. From its to support new programs;
original core values of Z.E.A.L.
Young Pharmacists Group- - Starting the Young Leaders • Strengthening and standardiz-
(Zeal, Excellence, Altruism, and
Philippines (YPG-Phils) may not be Forum and YPG Night (2011) ing chapters and sections;
Leadership), the new set of offic-
a common household name yet
- Being the co-host of the 1st ers rebranded it to I.D.E.A.L., add- • Creating and continuing inno-
for Filipino pharmacists but surely
Philippine Pharmacy Summit ing Integrity and Dedication to the vative programs to respond to the
you have heard about this "young"
(2013) values of Excellence, Altruism, and needs of young pharmacists; and
organization. Since its conceptual-
Leadership.
ization in 2009, YPG-Phils has been - Doing the flash mob and social • Maximizing the use of technolo-
actively involved in the landscape media campaigns during the YPG-Phils, a Cradle of New Breed gy for information dissemination,
of Philippine pharmacy practice. World Pharmacists Day (2014) of Leaders marketing, internal communica-
tion, and program offerings.
The History of YPG-Phils - Being the co-host of the PPhA This youthful organization became
National Convention in Bacolod the training ground for a new Moreover, the organization will be
YPG-Phils is one of the youngest
City (2015) breed of leaders in the Filipino continuing its flagship initiatives
affiliate organizations of the Phil-
pharmacy practice. Evidently, Prof. such as the White Coat Ceremony,
ippine Pharmacists Association - Conducting the YPG Leadership
Roderick Salenga is one of the National Patient Counseling Event,
(PPhA). It started from the eureka Camp in Rizal (2016)
renowned alumni of the organiza- the Philippine Pharmacy Summit,
moment of Mr. Sheldon Jagdan,
- Registration to the Securities tion – being the recipient of vari- Continuing Professional Education
Prof. Roderick Salenga, and Mr.
ous awards not only in the field of (CPE) Workshop Series, and the
Bryan Posadas in 2009. Through and Exchange Commission and
Bureau of Internal Revenue as a pharmacy but also in public health YPG Botika.
the leadership of its founding
non-stock and non-profit organiza- and education. Various founding
president, Professor Roderick In just a span of months, the new
tion (2016) members and officers, now con-
Salenga, YPG-Phils has been offi- set of officers brought to you vari-
sidered alumni, are now zealous
cially launched in 2010 during the - Organizational restructuring leaders of various pharmacy or- ous accomplishments in their
PPhA National Convention in (2016) term. Tune up for more exciting
ganizations in the Philippines,
Tacloban City. Incidentally, 2010 events for 2019 and 2020 includ-
- Starting the accreditation of including the mother organization
has been really a memorable year ing the following:
– the Philippine Pharmacists Asso-
for YPG because of its several YPG chapters (2016)
ciation. Mr. Paul Marvin Quizon • Online, free CPD units
milestones which were highlighted - Several national programs and
(Treasurer, Committee on Ways
by its PPhA induction as one of its partnerships (2016-2017) • YPG at the 2019 PPhA National
and Means, Secretary for Internal
official affiliate organizations and Convention in Davao City
Affairs 2011-2013) and Mr. Brian
its recognition by the Young Phar- - First national election (2018)
Posadas (President, 2014-2016) • YPG Island Hopping during the
macists Group of the International Since then, this group of 21 to 35
are now national officers of PPhA. 2019 PPhA National Convention
Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). years old registered Filipino phar-
Ms. Christine Aileen Ching
In that same year, YPG-Phils gave macists has been growing in num- • First YPG National Convention
(President, 2016-2018) is now
birth to the very first White Coat bers and chapters, bringing to- in September 2019, which in-
affiliated with the Federation of
Ceremony which provided the gether young and empowered cludes the Leadership Camp, inspi-
Asian Pharmaceutical Organiza-
venue for professional socializa- Filipino pharmacists. rational CPD talks, and the recog-
tions. Truly, YPG-Phils is a cradle
tion and means of inculcating to nition of most promising young
for a new breed of pharmacist-
future pharmacists the value of Vision, Mission and Core Values pharmacists
leaders not only in the Philippines
humanism and professionalism.
Built on the solid ground of em- but also abroad. • Centennial YPG Night in Manila
This youthful organization also
powered and passionate young (2020).
initiated the first Patient Counsel- 2018 and Beyond
pharmacist-leaders, the YPG was
ing Event during the 2010 National YPG-Phils, in an endnote
created. It goes with the ubiqui- Through the leadership of the
Pharmacy Week.
tous quote by Dr. Jose P. Rizal on current national president Ms.
YPG-Philippines brings into us the
Since then, YPG-Phils paved its having “the youth as the hope of Margarita Gutierrez, and with the sense of familiarity and belonging-
way to more triumphs which in- the nation.” This group envisions support of the national officers ness among pharmacy career
clude: that by 2040, every young Filipino and administration, YPG-Phils
starters and those nearing the
Pharmacist shall be a proactive brings you solid goals for the term
- Being one of the four organiz- agent of positive change through tita/tito stages that were felt dur-
2018-2020. To set forth, the or- ing your college years. It also pro-
ers of the 11th Asian Conference the pharmacy practice. It has the
ganization wants to create an vides an avenue for young phar-
of Clinical Pharmacy (2010) mission to empower Young Filipi- IDEAL pharmacist culture and
macists to develop their sense of
- Conduct of its first ever contin- no Pharmacists towards profes- network through: leadership - ready to becoming
uing professional education (CPE) sional and personal excellence future pharmacist-leaders of the
• The improvement of opera-
seminar with the theme “Raising through building on tradition, next generation.
tional efficiency and sustainability
Pharmacy Practice to Global inspiring innovation, and empow-

PPhA advocates for GPP in DOH-initiated revival of the Botika ng Bayan
The Philippine Pharmacists
Association Inc., partnered
with the Department of Health
to advocate for the role of the
pharmacists in improving ac-
cess to medicines through the
proper management of medi-
cines at public health facilities
and the provision of pharma-
ceutical care services to more
Filipinos through the revival of
the Botika ng Bayan project.
Three out of the four intended
pilot sites of Botika ng Bayan
were successfully operated in
July 2018 following the guide-
lines of the FDA and DOH on
good storage and distribution
practices and good pharmacy
practices. These sites were
situated in the rural health
units of San Mariano in Isabela
and San Remegio in Cebu and
the Lingap Center in Davao
City. These registered facilities
caters to the needs of patients
by ensuring quality medicines
and quality patient care are
provided for by pharmacists
who are proving to be the
most accessible health care
The Hygeian: Features
providers in their communities.
In particular, the pilot site of
the Lingap Center in Davao City
has been catering to at least
1,800 indigent patients per
month from different provinc-
es of Mindanao region.
The key strategy is to advocate
for the improvement of their
medicine access programs
through the implementation of
good storage and distribution
practices and good pharmacy
practices with pharmacists as
implementers. The premise is
that through the understand-
ing of the complexity of medi-
cines, local government execu-
tives’ decisions to involve phar-
macists will translate into
better health outcomes for
more Filipino patients.
A memorandum of agreement
between PPhA and the Depart-
ment of Health was forged for
the former's support in cre-
ating an advocacy package for
the improvement of medicine
access initiatives that will align
to current regulations and
standards for good storage and
April - December 2018
Volume 10, Issue 2
distribution practices and good
pharmacy practices. Meetings
were coordinated between
national government offices
such as the pharmaceutical
division of the DOH, and Food
and Drugs Administration, re-
gional and local government
units to arrive at agreements
on the implementation and
operational framework of the
revival of the botika ng bayan.
Local context were considered
in formulating specific plans on
different areas.
Moving forward, the Depart-
ment of Health is intending to
expand the BNB to all 2600
rural and city health facilities
nationwide. The revival of the
Botika ng Bayan is spearhead-
ed by the Pharmaceutical Divi-
15
sion through the Project Imple-
mentation and Management
Unit (PIMU) Team supervised
by Pharmacists Michael Junsay
and Sarah Millena, lead by
their Chief Dr. Melissa Guerre-
ro. The Supply Chain Manage-
ment advocacy chaired by
Isaac Ireneo Linatoc and Cris-
tan Agaceta, with the guidance
of President Yolanda Robles
and Former President Leonila
Ocampo provided technical
expertise in the creation of the
BNB advocacy package. PPhA
will continue to advocate for
better medicine supply man-
agement and provision of
pharmacy services in fulfilment
of its vision of pharmacists as
indispensable healthcare pro-
viders contributing to positive
healthcare outcomes for the
patients.
 12
April - December 2018

Volume 10, Issue 2

The Hygeian: NEWS

The Hygeian
PPhA participates in Drafting of Drugs and Medicines Editorial Staff

Price Regulation Vina Rose A. Dahilig

Pasay City — The Senate
Committee on Trade, Com-
merce and Entrepreneurship
pursued the PPhA’s input on
the drafting of the Drugs and
Medicines Price Regulation
Bill through a technical work-
ing group meeting last No-
vember 15, 2018 at the Sen-
prices despite the passage of
various policies like the Ge-
nerics Law, Universally Acces-
sible Cheaper and Quality
Medicines Act. In lieu of this,
law-makers are recognizing
the need for the best possible
and scientific, pharmacologi-
cal, clinical and economic
Editor-in-chief
pine Pharmacists Association, Cristan C. Agaceta
Inc., with its vision of the Fili- Associate Editor
pino pharmacists becoming Contributors:
an indispensable provider of Karen Romero-Esteban
medication expertise recog- Imelda G. Peña
nizes the need to ensure ac-
Maria Najela L. Mawirat
cessibility of medicines
Giles Gonzales
through various mechanisms
while making sure that Filipi- Vladimir Guillermo

ate of the Philippines Build-
ing, Pasay City. PPhA Presi-
dent Yolanda Robles attend-
ed the said meeting to high-
light important considera-
tions in price regulation of
medicines in the country.
The Philippines continues to
have relatively high medicine
evidence, free from commer-
cialism, to support a clear,
transparent, collegial and
politically accountable gov-
ernance mechanism to en-
sure proper intervention,
when necessary, to either
promote effective competi-
tion or regulate drug and
medicine prices. The Philip-
no patients receive the best Jasmin Kae Sistoso, RPh
pharmaceutical care they Donato Legaspi
deserve. To this end, PPhA
Jarvin Tan
will continue to actively par-
Adviser:
ticipate in the formulation
Paul Marvin P. Quizon
and implementation of health
PPhA Executive Assistant:
care policies, standards and Dianne Mariz R. Sosa
programs at the national and
international levels.

Message from the President

The year 2018 has been a busy year for us. It was full of programs and activities for PPhA
and its volunteers. This is in our effort to pursue our quest for a rightful role in the health
care system, be visible and be involved in addressing health issues, and to strengthen our
ties with health partners who share our mission for patients and the community. We want-
ed to see the Filipino people optimizing outcomes from their medicines and maintaining
their well-being. We made significant participation in health-policy making such as in men-
tal health, medication safety, rational use of medicines, and pharmaceutical supply chain
management, among others. We are happy that pharmacists’ contributions matter.

This year, during the first quarter, we will focus on governance, with the objective of achieving internal efficiency. The
organization has to be restructured to be responsive to the needs of the times. This is one way to address the growing
membership and involvement of our organization. We also need to prepare for the centennial activities for 2020. This
should be done while maintaining our CPD programs for the members this year.

Dear colleagues, let us keep our focus, be involved, and be motivated to help in improving pharmacy services, having
in mind the benefits it has for our kababayans and its impact on the recognition of pharmacists as valuable health pro-
fessionals. God bless our goals and our aspirations for 2019!