Health is Wealth: Can Investing in your health save you money in the long run?

AmCham Philippines

AmCham came to life in 1902 as the Manila Coffee Round Table and later as Manila Merchants Association. Incorporated in 1920, it has since then recognized and reconfirmed the commitment of American business to the development and welfare of the Philippines and the Filipino people.

This is a commitment of long-standing, as its mission statement declares:

The Chamber exists to serve the interests of U.S. businesses through the participation of members in promoting their long-term objectives while contributing to the civic and economic development of the Philippines.”

Event Details

Many Filipinos feel good about their health and well-being, despite the fact that they are unable to get regular medical check-ups and, worse, they are generally not as well prepared to pay for their medical needs.

And we might not be that healthy as we think. Most often, we self-medicate to not hinder ourselves with out – of – the –pocket expenses and this self-medication is a dangerous habit.

For this month's Healthcare and Wellness Committee, we have invited Dr. Fernando Paragas from the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication. Dr. Paragas was the lead researcher of the 2014 and 2019 PhilCare Wellness Index, which measures the "the state of being happy, healthy, or successful" among Filipinos.

The study was inspired by wellness and health indices in New Zealand (The Sovereign Well-being Index of 2015), Canada (The Canadian Index of Well-being), and United States (The State of American Well-Being of 2017).

Apart from the self-evaluations of physical, nutritional, medical, psychological, lifestyle, and financial well-being, the study also measured stress, sex, vices, and health practices of Filipinos.

Health is not about being alive, it is about being well. It is a state of achieving a complete harmony of mind and body

Speakers

Dr. Fernando Paragas

Lead researcher of the 2014 and 2019 PhilCare Wellness Index at PhilCare

Dr. Fernando Paragas is the lead researcher of the 2014 and 2019 PhilCare Wellness Index.

He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Communication Research and the Chair of the Graduate Studies Department of the College of Mass Communication of the University of the Philippines Diliman.

He completed his PhD degree in Mass Communication at Ohio University as a scholar ofthe Fulbright program of the United States of America.

Dr. Paragas earned his MA in Urban and Regional Planning, for which he received a Dean’s Medallion.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Research from UP Diliman, in which he received the Best Undergraduate Thesis Award.

Prior to returning to UP Diliman to teach, Dr. Paragas taught at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

He has nearly 100 academic publications, competitive conference papers, commissioned studies, and invited presentations.

Dr. Paragas is among this year’s recipients of the Gawad Tsanselor sa Natatanging Guro, the highest award bestowed by UP Diliman on its faculty members.

Members and Non-Members

This event is free of charge. Please register in advance, however, to ensure your refreshments are accounted for.

Standard PriceComplimentary