Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala
Encyclopedia
Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala is a Philippine
broadcast journalist
who produces news documentaries. When diagnosed with breast cancer
in 1997, she fought the disease with the help of doctors and survived. She founded the advocacy organization ICanServe
which has the mission of arming "women with breast care health and breast cancer information through high impact campaigns." In addition, Magsanoc-Alikpala is the managing director of Manila-based Asianeye Productions and a contributing producer to CNN. She was selected as one of three celebrity critics for the Philippine reality-show "Dokyu". She lives and works in Manila.
editor Letty Jimenez Magsanoc and Dr. Carlitos Magsanoc. Both of her brothers are doctors.
and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
. Asianeye developed shows called "docu-musicals" for ABS-CBN's a "A Christmas Prayer," and the firm won awards on several occasions. In 2007, the Asianeye staff watched 200 movies made by the Philippine action movie star Fernando Poe, Jr.
as part of an effort to make a TV special; Magsanoc-Alikpala divided the work to select footage for their project. She has produced and reported for documentaries through the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
, The Probe Team and for SkyCable News. As a broadcast journalist, she reported on significant stories, such as the capture of four Abu Sayyaf
members in 2002; her reports were broadcast on the Voice of America
.
Foundation along with her friend Crisann Celdran who wrote "we knew very little and had different experiences but shared one dream: that cancer survivors should not go through this path alone." She encourages women to make breast self-examination a "lifetime habit." According to one source, the Philippines
has the highest incidence of breast cancer
in Southeast Asia
.
The I Can Serve Foundation
, sometimes identified with all words together as ICanServe
, has been described as a "dynamic patient support networking group" and has been lauded for its efforts to alleviate the rising incidence of breast cancer
among Filipino women. One woman who survived breast cancer
joined ICanServe
afterwards, and she described Magsanoc-Alikpala as "pretty", "perky", and "talented" and wrote Magsanoc-Alikpala's efforts to organize fellow survivors was a "miracle". In 2004, Magsanoc-Alikpala was awarded the Bessie B. Legarda Memorial Foundation Award. The foundation had its tenth anniversary in 2007. She published advice about how to organize cancer support groups.
The organization, along with the Philippine Cancer Society, organizes a variety of initiatives to promote awareness, including "fun runs" since 2002 in such cities as Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Magsanoc-Alikpala works with government officials including Philippine Senate President Manny Villar
to promote awareness. It promotes awareness with local officials such as in Marikina City. Its "Pink Kitchen" creative promotional effort, credited as the idea of Bettina Osmena, features top chefs serving fine cuisine; the events are well publicized in the media. The Pink Kitchen event has been described as "one of Manila’s most anticipated food festivals; the 2008 event showcased over 50 chefs serving French, Italian, Spanish, Middle Eastern, Indian, Burmese, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian and Singaporean specialties. One chef named a new dish after her; chef Sincioco’s Tickled Pink Salad a la Kara featured beetroots and a dark pink tinge in a "fuchsia concoction." In 2006, the organization planned the Philippine's first nationwide early breast cancer
detection effort.
In 2008, Magsanoc-Alikpala won a Balance Award from the magazine Working Mom which recognized balance between career and family; a reporter described Magsanoc-Alikpala's efforts as "indefatigable ... as chairperson of the breast cancer awareness support group."
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
broadcast journalist
Broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are "broadcast", that is, published by electrical methods, instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. Broadcast methods include radio , television , and, especially recently, the Internet generally...
who produces news documentaries. When diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in 1997, she fought the disease with the help of doctors and survived. She founded the advocacy organization ICanServe
ICanServe Foundation
- ICanServe Foundation, Inc. :ICanServe Foundation, Inc., formerly Information on Breast Cancer and Other Services , is a non-stock, non-profit organization that advocates early breast cancer detection through breast self-examination...
which has the mission of arming "women with breast care health and breast cancer information through high impact campaigns." In addition, Magsanoc-Alikpala is the managing director of Manila-based Asianeye Productions and a contributing producer to CNN. She was selected as one of three celebrity critics for the Philippine reality-show "Dokyu". She lives and works in Manila.
Early career
Magsanoc-Alikpala is the daughter of Philippine Daily InquirerPhilippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
editor Letty Jimenez Magsanoc and Dr. Carlitos Magsanoc. Both of her brothers are doctors.
Journalism career
Magsanoc-Alikpala was a managing director of Asianeye Productions as well as a producer for ARD German television and a contributing producer to CNN. Asianeye made an extensive documentary on Martial Law called "Batas Militar" which got the "highest rating for any television documentary in the Philippines," according to one newspaper account. She was a reporter for Voice of AmericaVoice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
. Asianeye developed shows called "docu-musicals" for ABS-CBN's a "A Christmas Prayer," and the firm won awards on several occasions. In 2007, the Asianeye staff watched 200 movies made by the Philippine action movie star Fernando Poe, Jr.
Fernando Poe, Jr.
Ronald Allan Poe y Kelley , better known as Fernando Poe, Jr. and colloquially known as FPJ and Da King, was a Filipino actor and cultural icon. From the 1950s, Poe played steadfast film heroes who fight for the common man, which won him respect and admiration...
as part of an effort to make a TV special; Magsanoc-Alikpala divided the work to select footage for their project. She has produced and reported for documentaries through the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism is a non-profit media organization specializing in investigative journalism. It is based in Quezon City, Philippines. Established in 1989 by nine Filipino journalists, the organization funds investigative projects for both the print and broadcast...
, The Probe Team and for SkyCable News. As a broadcast journalist, she reported on significant stories, such as the capture of four Abu Sayyaf
Abu Sayyaf
Abu Sayyaf also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya is one of several military Islamist separatist groups based in and around the southern Philippines, in Bangsamoro where for almost 30 years various Muslim groups have been engaged in an insurgency for an independent province in the country...
members in 2002; her reports were broadcast on the Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
.
Breast cancer and ICanServe
In 1997, Magsanoc-Alikpala was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a transformative event in her life. She survived, but the experience changed her. In 1999, she started the I Can ServeICanServe Foundation
- ICanServe Foundation, Inc. :ICanServe Foundation, Inc., formerly Information on Breast Cancer and Other Services , is a non-stock, non-profit organization that advocates early breast cancer detection through breast self-examination...
Foundation along with her friend Crisann Celdran who wrote "we knew very little and had different experiences but shared one dream: that cancer survivors should not go through this path alone." She encourages women to make breast self-examination a "lifetime habit." According to one source, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
has the highest incidence of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.
The I Can Serve Foundation
ICanServe Foundation
- ICanServe Foundation, Inc. :ICanServe Foundation, Inc., formerly Information on Breast Cancer and Other Services , is a non-stock, non-profit organization that advocates early breast cancer detection through breast self-examination...
, sometimes identified with all words together as ICanServe
ICanServe Foundation
- ICanServe Foundation, Inc. :ICanServe Foundation, Inc., formerly Information on Breast Cancer and Other Services , is a non-stock, non-profit organization that advocates early breast cancer detection through breast self-examination...
, has been described as a "dynamic patient support networking group" and has been lauded for its efforts to alleviate the rising incidence of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
among Filipino women. One woman who survived breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
joined ICanServe
ICanServe Foundation
- ICanServe Foundation, Inc. :ICanServe Foundation, Inc., formerly Information on Breast Cancer and Other Services , is a non-stock, non-profit organization that advocates early breast cancer detection through breast self-examination...
afterwards, and she described Magsanoc-Alikpala as "pretty", "perky", and "talented" and wrote Magsanoc-Alikpala's efforts to organize fellow survivors was a "miracle". In 2004, Magsanoc-Alikpala was awarded the Bessie B. Legarda Memorial Foundation Award. The foundation had its tenth anniversary in 2007. She published advice about how to organize cancer support groups.
The organization, along with the Philippine Cancer Society, organizes a variety of initiatives to promote awareness, including "fun runs" since 2002 in such cities as Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Magsanoc-Alikpala works with government officials including Philippine Senate President Manny Villar
Manny Villar
Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar, Jr. is a Filipino businessman and politician. He is currently a Philippine Senator, president of the Nacionalista Party...
to promote awareness. It promotes awareness with local officials such as in Marikina City. Its "Pink Kitchen" creative promotional effort, credited as the idea of Bettina Osmena, features top chefs serving fine cuisine; the events are well publicized in the media. The Pink Kitchen event has been described as "one of Manila’s most anticipated food festivals; the 2008 event showcased over 50 chefs serving French, Italian, Spanish, Middle Eastern, Indian, Burmese, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian and Singaporean specialties. One chef named a new dish after her; chef Sincioco’s Tickled Pink Salad a la Kara featured beetroots and a dark pink tinge in a "fuchsia concoction." In 2006, the organization planned the Philippine's first nationwide early breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
detection effort.
Celebrity and awards
In 2007, Magsanoc-Alikpala was chosen as one of three celebrity critics on a popular Philippine TV show Dokyu which has an "eclectic panel" of experts examining film projects. The TV program is a competition-based reality program which gives a platform to independent documentary filmmakers. She offers advice and encouragement to aspiring talents.In 2008, Magsanoc-Alikpala won a Balance Award from the magazine Working Mom which recognized balance between career and family; a reporter described Magsanoc-Alikpala's efforts as "indefatigable ... as chairperson of the breast cancer awareness support group."