Written by Lisa Dikomitis
I announced in my previous blog post the two Ateneo SOLACE winners. In this post our two brand new SOLACE student ambassadors, Sai Petalio and Dani Uayan, give some background around their winning entries. The entries were judged by an interdisciplinary panel to be thought-provoking, imaginative as well as extremely cognizant of global health issues.
Sai and Dani will soon be travelling to Northern Samar
Dani submitted a painting with an essay to the SOLACE competition. Here is what she told me about her entry: ‘The road to Dengvaxia was paved with good intentions, and the negative consequences of the immunization program were immense. The withering of public trust was not a one-off event as much as it was a signpost of the direction the health sector is heading. There is a far greater “illness” in public health, and “treating” it would require more than just indemnification of those involved in every health care debacle. My essay talks about the issue of autonomy and weak paternalism, patient empowerment, the growing crusade within the health sector, and “power motive” in health professionals. My painting is inspired by the “The Invisible Hand” theory, introduced by Adam Smith in his book The Wealth of Nations, wherein he claimed that people acting on their self-interest would produce beneficial results to the economy. The backdrop, which are pages taken from Davis’ Drug Guide for Nurses, prompts looking into how the theory has been applied to public health and medicine. The Filipino child and the severity of use of blank ink also serve to highlight the complex issues of autonomy, regulation and paternalism in public health.’
Painting by Dani Uayan
Sai submitted a collection of short stories. Here is what Sai told me about her entry:
‘Antier and Zeg is a collection of personal stories and anecdotes regarding health issues, most notably death and the fragility of life. Though the main point is not manifested point blank, the piece hopes to take the reader on a journey through various points in a person’s life when he/she is confronted by unexpected events and also shows that there are ups and downs but these are parts of what life is and without it, it wouldn’t be as worth living. It is in the implications of the piece that it silently shows its depth. One may be left with more questions or insights after they finish reading. One thing is certain, it can happen to anybody, it can be talking about anybody. And with that, it raises points that may be relevant to everybody.’
An extract from Sai’s collection of short stories
Dani’s essay and Sai’s short stories will be published in the CASIC Working Paper Series. Congratulations to Sai and Dani! We are looking forward to your contributions to the SOLACE project.
SOLACE 
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