A NATION'S YEAR-END DIAGNOSIS: WHAT 2025 TAUGHT US ABOUT FILIPINO HEALTH, HEALING, AND HOPE

This is a year-end checkup on our holistic national health, and an invitation to step into the new year wiser, gentler and stronger.

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Dola AI Image: DOLA AI

(Dola AI)

VITAL SIGN #1: THE BODY – FAMILIAR ILLNESSES, PERSISTENT RISKS

The year 2025 reminded us that hypertension, diabetes and heart disease remain our leading killers. Despite increased awareness, many Filipinos still delay checkups, skip maintenance medications, or rely on kapitbahay cures instead of proper medical care. Almost daily, I see patients whose blood pressure is high enough to light a Christmas parol — yet they feel “okay” because they’ve grown accustomed to it.

This is the danger of silent disease: it whispers for years, until one day it shouts.

We also saw rising rates of childhood obesity, fatty liver disease, poorly controlled diabetes and sedentary lifestyles driven by long work hours, traffic and endless screen time. There is hope. More young Filipinos are walking, running, cooking healthier meals, and seeking help for mental health concerns. Still, as a nation, our physical health remains fragile. We love to celebrate — but we continue to struggle with moderation.

VITAL SIGN #2: MENTAL HEALTH – A WOUND FINALLY NAMED

If 2025 had a defining theme, it was mental health — not because it suddenly appeared, but because it finally found language.