ROXAS CITY, CAPIZ, November 30, 2025—The newly established Philippine Heart Association (PHA) Capiz–Aklan Chapter is placing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) preparedness at the forefront of its Advocacy mission, by making Boracay as the start off point of the mission to make tourism destinations as CPR- and AED-ready communities.
During the chapter’s formal launching and oathtaking ceremony, chapter president Dr. Rommel Mosquette reaffirmed that CPR readiness is one of the PHA’s most urgent advocacies, especially in areas where large crowds, transient populations, and tourism activity increase the likelihood of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) cases.
PHA Capiz-Aklan Chapter Officers
“Cardiovascular disease is the number one health menace in the Philippines and around the world. A cardiac arrest victim has to be revived within 4 to 6 minutes to prevent irreversible neurologic or brain damage. That is why knowledge of hands-only CPR among bystanders or a witness is crucial to save a life while waiting for the ambulance to arrive,” Mosquette said.
Dr. Mosquette
‘Picking up where we left off’
The Capiz–Aklan Chapter’s CPR initiatives fall under the CPR on Wheels & Wings (CWW) program—a joint advocacy of the PHA and the Department of Tourism (DOT) launched in October 2016. Boracay was the CWW inaugural, where 550 participants— hotel-resort staff, tourism establishment workers, even ambulant vendors, drivers and boatmen—underwent hands-only CPR training led by the PHA National and Western Visayas Panay cardiologists as well as Malay Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, in partnership with the, DOT Manila and Western Visayas, Municipality of Malay, and Boracay Foundation.
PHA National President Dr. Walid Amil emphasized that the chapter’s renewed CPR efforts support the national Unified 911 System for emergency response (police, fire, medical/disaster). During the PHA-led Usapang Puso: CPR-Ready PH and 911-Ready PH media conference on Nov. 4, 2025, the PHA gathered the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH), and Philippine College of Emergency Medicine (PCEM), under one forum. He noted that as the national 911 system expands, community-level CPR training becomes even more essential.
“Today, as Capiz and Aklan officially establish their own PHA chapter, the timing to revive CWW could not be more meaningful. The PHA, together with the Department of Health, the Philippine College of Emergency Medicine, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), has already announced a shared national commitment: a CPR-, AED-, EMS-, and 911-ready Philppines,” Amil said.
Dr. Amil
He also highlighted the lost legislative momentum of the proposed AED bill, already on second reading during the last Congress. The good news is two solons -- Sen. Lito Lapid and Cong. Richard Gomez, have refiled the AED Bill in public places and spaces at the onset of the 20th Congress of the Philippine in July 2025. “The act seeks to install automated external defibrillators in high-traffic public spaces such as airports, ports, and markets.” Amil noted that while awaiting approval, they said the LGUs may independently acquire AEDs.
”Just recently, PHA Northwestern Mindanao secured 62 AED units for Ozamiz City through LGU support—an example the PHA hopes other local governments will follow,” he said.
PH still reeling from RHD scourge
Rheumatic fever-Rheumatic disease (RF-RHD) is still a major health issue, especially among children in the Philippines and in the provinces of Capiz and Aklan.
“RHD has been a long-standing but often overlooked threat to the cardiovascular health of the pediatric population,” according to Mosquete.
Rheumatic Fever (RF) which leads to RHD is caused by untreated or recurring tonsillitis with the streptococcal bacteria as the culprit. Meanwhile, RHD if left untreated can lead to permanent damage to the heart valves.
“Even today, we still see high cases of rheumatic heart disease in our clinics,” Mosquette said.
He added that most of these patients belong to financially challenged sectors, and they struggle to afford the constant monitoring and medication that their condition requires.
Mosquette emphasized that for many patients, regular penicillin injections, INR monitoring, and ongoing follow-up for valvular disease are necessary to prevent complications and prolong life. Yet these essential services remain out of reach for many due to cost.
He said that awareness, early diagnosis and prompt intervention are keys to RF-RHD, a debilitating illness. He also noted that the school is the best milieu to plant the seed of RF-RHD awareness.
In 2020, RHD caused 1,807 deaths, representing 0.27% of total deaths in the country. It continues to affect thousands, especially children and young adults from poor communities.
To address this, the PHA Capiz–Aklan Chapter is preparing a project that will financially assist RHD patients in their maintenance treatment, including weekly or monthly injections and laboratory monitoring. The chapter also aims to provide free 2D echocardiography for patients by partnering with both government agencies and private institutions.
“We know that our local governments are already planning to invest in machines for echocardiography, and we have capable cardiologists willing to offer their expertise for free. This is a crucial step in ensuring that monitoring will not be a burden for patients,” Mosquette added.
