NIGHT OWL

When Justice Department Under Secretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar was diagnosed with lupus – an autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body, including joints, skin, and internal organs – she did not know anyone with a similar illness. There was no support group available and information about the disease was scarce.

In 2007, Em was a recent UP LAW graduate who recently lost her candidacy for the midterm election. It was the first time his party list, DIWA, had lost. She remembered ignoring all of her symptoms. She rejected the stiffness she felt in her hands and ankles, the swelling in her feet and legs as a result of her exercise routines. Despite advice from her colleagues to see a doctor for the severe pain she was experiencing in her lower back and joints, she chose to work.

But one day, around 2 a.m., she couldn’t move her hand. It was then that she decided to go to the hospital. An emergency biopsy was taken and it revealed glomerulonephritis, an acute inflammation of the kidneys. Even then, she still insisted on signing a waiver at the hospital to allow her to leave and inform her law firm of the state of health.

It took several months before specialists could confirm that she suffered from lupus, also known as “the great imitator”.

By this time, his blood count was down. Her kidney was already affected and her anemia worsened. She had rashes on her face and other parts of her body.

It was her personal and lonely battle with lupus that led her to found the Hope for Lupus Foundation, a non-governmental organization that aims to promote the early detection and appropriate treatment of lupus by raising awareness about it.

Em would remember the next two years since the diagnosis as one of the most difficult parts of his life. She was starting to lose her hair. There were days when she couldn’t walk because of the pain in her ankles and knees. Other days she had to rely on other people to feed her.

It wasn’t easy for a woman who valued independence at a very young age. As a student, Em served as chairman of the De La Salle University Student Council. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with an AB Economics degree.

So when the doctor asked her to stay inside and wear a mask, she was determined not to make it a permanent arrangement. She wasn’t going to let the lupus go its way.

In 2010, she led a successful national campaign as a representative of the DIWA party. Since then, she has been fighting for women’s rights, gender quality and better working conditions in convention halls.

It was during her first term that she met her husband, the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Works and Roads, Mark Villar. At first, she thought he was superficial and wouldn’t be able to deal with the rashes, hair loss, and frequent hospital visits. She wasn’t interested in dating and was comfortable being single. It took Sec. Mark a year to convince Usec Em to go out for lunch.

But the first date went well, better than they both expected. So when things got serious, Usec Em wanted him to see her without a wig and no makeup. At the time, she was bald and had butterfly rashes on her face. He did not run away as she expected. Instead, Sec. Mark laughed and told her that she didn’t have to wear the wig or makeup when they were together.

Today there would still be days when Emmeline Aglipay-Villar would still experience lower back pain and joint pain. Some days, rashes still appeared on her face and body. And nowadays, no one would usually know about his discomfort. For years that was the kind of work ethic I saw Usec. Marry em. Not once has she used lupus as an excuse.

Gavel & Block ‘benefit’ auction for the Hope for Lupus Foundation

The Hope for Lupus Foundation has partnered with Gavel & Block by Salcedo Auctions, whose “benefit” auctions over the past four years have raised millions of pesos for the charities and nonprofits they support. . Gavel & Block’s “Benefit” auction for the Hope for Lupus Foundation will be held online on Saturday, October 16, 2021 via salcedoauctions.com.

The auction will feature nearly 100 lots, with the proceeds helping to support the foundation’s work in the early detection and appropriate treatment of the disease. Among the lots that go under the hammer are works by prominent contemporary Filipino visual artists such as Emmanuel Garibay, Raffy Napay, Jigger Cruz, Alfredo Esquillo, Jr., Manuel Ocampo, Daniel dela Cruz, Winner Jumalon and Olan Ventura. Sterling silver pieces from Cartier and Tiffany & Co., fine crystal from Baccarat and Lalique, as well as jewelry from Riquera and Janina Dizon were also hammered under the hammer.