Mercury Drug Foundation holds NCD awareness walk in Negros Occidental

Thousands join Mercury Drug Foundation’s 14th Walk for Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Awareness, held for the first time in Negros Occidental.

More than 2,000 participants joined the 14th Walk for Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Awareness organized by Mercury Drug Foundation Inc. last May 17 at The District North Point in Talisay City, Negros Occidental.

The annual activity aims to promote healthier lifestyles and strengthen public awareness on non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic respiratory illnesses.

The event marked the first time the nationwide advocacy walk was held in Bacolod and Negros Occidental since the program started in 2012.

MDFI executive director Annie Fuentes said the initiative forms part of the foundation’s Bantay Kalusugan Program, which focuses on health education, disease prevention and wellness promotion in communities across the country.

“This is our public awareness project under our Bantay Kalusugan Program to make people aware of non-communicable diseases,” Fuentes said, noting that NCDs remain among the leading causes of death worldwide.

She added that the advocacy encourages Filipinos to adopt healthier lifestyle through daily exercise, regular health screenings, enough hydration and sleep, and proper disease management.

“We are happy that people here in Negros Occidental are engaging and becoming more aware of NCDs. By joining this walk, they are supporting our advocacy,” Fuentes added.

Participants get freebies from the Unilab and RiteMed booths.

Aside from the three-kilometer walk, participants also took part in Zumba sessions, fitness activities, games, raffle draws and wellness booth activities. Freebies and wellness items were also distributed during the event, to the delight of the participants.

Officials and employees of Mercury Drug Corporation, members of the MDFI Board of Trustees, and healthcare partners participated in the activity.

Mercury Drug and Mercury Drug Foundation (MDFI) executives join the Walk for NCD Awareness, along with partners from Unilab and RiteMED. In the photo are RiteMED Inc. OVP and head Violi Remo (seventh from left), Unilab AVP Marlon Carpizo (extreme left), MDFI executive director Annie Fuentes (fourth from left), MDFI trustee Rose Lue (fifth from left) and Mercury Drug VP for Merchandising Cora Lim (sixth from left)