With the theme “Educate, Innovate, Empower,” the event underscored a clear and pressing reality: HF is no longer a distant clinical diagnosis confined to textbooks or end-stage care.

Council on HF Chair and National HF Network Director Dr. Erlyn Demerre said “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”

“Education is the strongest pillar—when patients, healthcare professionals, and communities are informed, care improves and stigma fades,” she stressed.

HF affects an estimated 64 million people worldwide, progressing quietly over years rather than presenting as an acute outbreak.

In the Philippines, data from the Philippine National Heart Failure Registry place the burden at around 10.4 percent of the population, reflecting a significant and continuing national challenge.

Despite this, control of key risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and dyslipidemia remain suboptimal. Hypertension control is only 38.6 percent, while smoking prevalence remains at approximately 31 percent, with rising rates of diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia further accelerating HF.

A key focus of the discussions was the importance of HF clinics, which provide structured, protocol-driven outpatient care beyond hospitalization. These clinics serve as continuity hubs where patients receive regular monitoring, medication optimization, education, and early intervention to prevent deterioration and rehospitalization.

Chef Heny Sison and her HF journey

In a conversation led by HF Specialist Dr. Kay Evangelista Galindez during the event, celebrity baker and Chef Heny Sison  shared her HF journey: while brisk walking, she experienced shortness of breath which she initially dismissed as part of aging. 

During a stress test on her yearly birthday checkup, a simple question changed everything: “Ma’am, mayroon ba kayong thickened heart muscle?”

Photo by: George Buid

She didn’t know. Days later, the answer came. A diagnosis: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)—a condition closely linked to heart failure (HF) when left unmanaged. It is marked by an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, which can obstruct blood flow and make it harder for the heart to pump efficiently. It may present as shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, or even fainting—symptoms easily overlooked until they begin to disrupt daily life.

And just like that, certainty turned into confusion. “Parang bumagyo ‘yung utak ko,” she recalled. “What is this?”

For someone who had never been still, and seriously ill, the idea of slowing down felt more terrifying than the diagnosis itself. And for someone as accomplished as Chef Heny, the first thought was not about treatment. It was about loss.

“Is this the end of my career? Kailangan ko na bang huminto

Her journey with HCM shows that heart failure and cardiomyopathy care truly “takes a village.” Her cardiologists, heart failure specialists, and multidisciplinary team including nurses, pharmacists, diagnostic specialists, and rehab experts — support and work together to manage her condition and restore her quality of life.

Photo by: George Buid

For now, the medication—what Chef Heny calls a “wonder drug”—for HCM is available in Singapore, where it is more affordable, and in the United States, where it comes at a higher cost. 

While the treatment is expensive, she said, it spared her from more invasive and far costlier surgery. But beyond the prescription, the real shift was in her pace—learning to slow down and live more deliberately.

“I used to do everything hanggang mapagod ako,” she admitted. “Now, I trust my team.”

HF is more than stress or “pagod lang”

HF develops gradually as the heart loses its ability to pump blood efficiently. Because of this slow progression, early symptoms are often dismissed.

These include persistent shortness of breath, easy fatigability even with minimal exertion, swelling of the legs, ankles, or abdomen, unexplained rapid weight gain due to fluid retention, persistent cough or wheezing, difficulty lying flat during sleep, and episodes of rapid or irregular heartbeat.

HF was also described as a complex, multisystem condition that frequently coexists with diabetes, kidney disease, and other chronic illnesses, making long-term management more challenging and resource-intensive.

Many patients initially attribute these to stress or “pagod lang,” leading to delayed consultation and diagnosis.

PHA HF Caravan

Beyond hospital-based initiatives, PHA has also strengthened grassroots awareness through its ongoing Heart Failure Caravan, which has already reached Iloilo, Cagayan De Oro, Zamboanga, Clark, Baguio, and Tacloban, with upcoming stops planned in Bicol, Cebu, and other regions. The initiative aims to bring education, screening, and awareness directly to communities across the country.

Photo by: George Buid

HF was also described as a “silent pandemic”—not caused by infection, but driven by lifestyle-related risks that accumulate over decades. Unlike sudden outbreaks, its progression is slow, but its impact is equally devastating if left unmanaged.

Continuity of care for HF patients are important. This is through cardiac rehabilitation programs, which combine supervised exercise, education, and lifestyle modification to improve functional capacity and quality of life.

PHA President Dr. Walid Amil said: “The PHA is committed to improving heart failure outcomes in the Philippines by expanding clinics, increasing access to advanced treatments like heart transplantation, and building sustainable rehabilitation programs to bring quality cardiovascular care closer to every Filipino.”

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