She belongs to that rare category, the supermodel/beauty queen. Abbygale Williamson Arenas, at 16, represented the country at the Ford Models’ Supermodel of the World contest in 1992 (won by Canada’s Tricia Helfer, now a Hollywood starlet). At 18, she finished as first runner-up at Binibining Pilipinas 1994 (won by Charlene Gonzales, Supermodel Philippines 1991 winner Cara Subijano and starlet Alma Concepcion).
Abbygale joined Binibining Pilipinas again and won the honor to represent the Philippines at Miss Universe 1997. It was won by US’s Brook Lee, with unforgettable Top 10 contestants from Italy (Denny Mendez, its first black winner) and India (Nafisa Joseph, who later on committed suicide). She won Miss Photogenic, a back-to-back triumph with Aileen Damiles (Miss Universe Philippines 1996). Abby then finished a heartbreaking 11th place.
Statuesque, articulate, and compassionate, Abby, later on, parlayed her pageant and supermodel experience into a career as a professional image consultant. She founded Personi-fi Image Studio Inc., a firm that conducts training programs and services in image and personality development, business etiquette, social graces, and professional wardrobe consultancy.
As an empowered woman, she also serves as the president of Bravehearts Coalition, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness of cervical cancer prevention through education, screening, and vaccination with the vision of achieving a cervical cancer-free Philippines.
In this capacity, Abby was one of the guest speakers at the “Power Over Cervical Cancer: You Can and You Will” campaign of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which aims to increase cervical-cancer awareness in the country.
What Is Cervical Cancer?
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. Cancer is always named for the part of the body where it starts, even if it spreads to other body parts later. When cancer starts in the cervix, it is called cervical cancer. The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus. The cervix connects the vagina [birth canal] to the upper part of the uterus. The uterus [or womb] is where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant.”
Most cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that can be passed from one person to another during sex, the CDC said. Other factors that can increase your risk of cervical cancer are smoking, having HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) or another condition that makes it hard for your body to fight off health problems, using birth control pills for a long time (five or more years), having given birth to three or more children, or having several sexual partners.
Abby stressed she is deeply involved with cervical cancer-free advocacy for three reasons. “First, the numbers 2, 80 and 7—‘2’, because cervical cancer is now the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Filipinas; ‘80’, because it is estimated that 80 percent of Filipino women will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives; and ‘7’, because seven Filipino women die of cervical cancer every day. These numbers struck me. They are not so good: 2, 80 and 7. Please do not forget that,” Abby, 41, implored. In fact, cervical cancer is ranked as the second most prevalent cancer type afflicting Filipino women – which only strengthens the need for effective prevention.
Cervical cancer is highly preventable in the west due to the accessibility of screening tests and a vaccine to prevent HPV infections. “When cervical cancer is found early, it is highly treatable and associated with long survival and good quality of life,” the CDC said. Ideally, Dr. Esther R.V. Guanzon Jr., the head of the Gynecologic Oncology Department of the Parañaque Doctors Hospital, states that “Any woman who is 21 years old and above should be screened for cervical cancer.”
“The No. 2 reason I am here: I know how to fight cervical cancer. This time they’re not numbers, they’re letters: A, S, V—Awareness, Screening and Vaccination. These are the ways on how to fight cervical cancer,” Abby underscored.
Cervical Cancer Prevention Should Be Accessible to All Women
Cervical cancer remains a public health concern that continues to threaten the welfare and well-being of women and the population as a whole. It is a known fact that nearly 99 percent of it is due to HPV. This is one of the reasons why information about cervical cancer prevention should be accessible to the general population, whether through mass information drives or campaigns that help spread awareness.
Fortunately, cervical cancer prevention is an easy undertaking because of modern solutions. GSK, one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical companies with the mission “to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer,” has a vaccine business that is one of the largest in the world. It develops, produces and distributes more than 1.9 million vaccines (including the vaccine that prevents cervical cancer) every day, with 600 million doses distributed to more than 150 countries last year.
“An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Getting cancer may be a distant concept for women who are well and at their prime, but they should be aware that even the healthiest can be at risk. The power to protect yourself from cervical cancer is in your hands, and now is the best time to consult with your physician and have yourself screened,” GSK Medical Affairs Manager Dr. Lea Manio declared in a statement.
“The last reason I came here to talk about it is because I promised my children—I now have two children—I promised them that I will take care of myself so I can take care of them. So many women and so many mothers are not taking care of themselves very well because there are so many things they need to take care of aside from themselves, but the thing is that with the vaccine already available, we can take care of ourselves as we take care of [our children],” continued Abby, who is married to legendary photography Jun de Leon, making them our closest version of the Lisa Fonssagrives-Irving Penn union.
In conclusion, Abby exhorted everyone to visit the Bravehearts Coalition Facebook page: “All I’m asking is you tell 10 other women who will also tell 10 other women [about how to prevent cervical cancer]. That is how we multiply and make people believe we can fight cervical cancer. We should empower ourselves with the right information and the right steps because this cancer is preventable.
The Lipstick Partnership: Put On Your Power Pout Against Cervical Cancer!
In addition to Miss Abby’s movement to better educate Filipinas against Cervical Cancer, GSK has also launched campaigns and partnered with some of the biggest brands in the Philippines to create awareness about cervical cancer.
With “Put On Your Power Pout!,” GSK and VMV Hypoallergenics pushed women to wear VMV lipstick in the shades of “Chorus Line” and “Tutu” in solidarity to bring cervical cancer awareness closer to women. According to the Lipstick Partnership, they’re pushing this awareness to women who are relatively healthy and typically do not see the importance of getting tested for HPV. By reaching out to women who are unaware of the risk of HPV, they can spread information better to those who need it most.
Through this advocacy, GSK and VMV Hypoallergenics push women to use their everyday lipstick as a statement against cervical cancer. According to Mark Castillo, the associate product manager for HPV and hepatitis at GSK Philippines, “When a woman wants to make a statement, she usually wears lipstick. Through this partnership, we hope to drive women to make a statement against cervical cancer.”
The Future Sounds Hopeful for Cervical Cancer Awareness
While a significant portion of the female population in the Philippines remains uninformed about the dangers of cervical cancer, the future sounds more hopeful today, with the DOH actively campaigning for better information dissemination and proactive approaches. In 2017, the Department of Health allocated PHP 650 million for a school-based immunization program, providing free vaccines to approximately 722,000 students nationwide.
According to Health Secretary Dr. Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial, “Vaccination is a basic right of children, and no child shall be deprived of this right. Our children are one of the most important assets of this country; therefore, every effort should be made to promote their welfare and optimum development. They should be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. And what better way to do this than through vaccination?”
But this move doesn’t come as a surprise as the DOH had led previous initiatives for this purpose. Before this campaign, vaccination campaigns have also been launched by both DepEd and the DOH, albeit in smaller numbers. In 2013, 10,000 female students aged 10 to 14 years old were given a three-dose regimen of HPV vaccines in Cebu and Baguio, which was eventually expanded to cover 20 priority provinces with high poverty incidence.
According to DOH Undersecretary Gerardo V. Bayugo, this program is helpful because it could help the public save money by taking the vaccination rather than be burdened by the disease that could cost them almost half-a-million-peso in treatment. With this approach, women and girls are given a chance to be protected against a highly preventable disease with complete assistance from the government.
As Rep. Alexandria P. Gonzales of Mandaluyong City puts it, “Women have always been at the heart of the Filipino family and society. They are our mothers, sisters, and daughters. We must ensure their protection against diseases such as cervical cancer.”