The UPMASA

27 August 2009

Dear Sir/Maʼam

It's been over a hundred days since we started internship inthe Philippine General Hospital. So far it's been one of my bestyears in medical school!

Coming into our last year, I was filled with some excitementand a lot of insecurity - insecurity about whether the new cur-riculum had prepared us to face the tasks and challenges thatlay ahead. My insecurity, however, was tempered by the ex-citement that I got when I managed to be selected to be part ofthe Straight Internship program in Internal Medicine. Before ap-plying for the program, I weighed the loss of experience fromother departments versus the learning and opportunities that Icould get from the program. I also considered which trackwould be more beneficial to my dream of someday working inthe critical care setting. After all the arguments and debate thatwent on in my head, I decided to apply for the program andleave it to the admission committeeto see if my objectives for trying toget into the program were goodenough to get me accepted. Luckyfor me, they thought it was!

So right now, I am enjoying andmaking the most of the learning ex-periences and unique opportunitiesthat straight internship has to offer.

Helping me achieve my goal of be-coming an intensivist is just one half

of the reason why I love the straight internship program. Theother half being that the program opened my eyes to areas ofmedicine that previously didn't bother to look into during ourfirst 4 years in medicine but now I grew to love in just 4 months- medical research and evidence based medicine.

In our earlier years, we were already introduced to the con-cepts of research and the processes in evidence based medi-cine (EBM). It is only now, however, that I realized how muchthese two fields can influence the care that we provide to ourpatients. It is only now that I appreciate the important role thatresearch and EBM play in shaping the practice of medicine.And most importantly, it is now that I felt excitement about theopportunities for change and the areas where I could contributemy little thoughts in these two fields. I feel and believe thataside from critical care, it is in medical research and EBMwhere my passion runs deep and where I could make a differ-ence.We've barely hit the halfway mark of our final year in medicinebut I feel like I've gained a year's worth of learning and experi-

ence already. I hope that the passion would never leave me.

Thank you for constantly believing in us and for giving us theopportunity to pursue our dreams.Salamat po!

Jose Antonio E. Dumagay

UPCM Class 2010City Address: 1665 - B Ma. Orosa St., Malate, Manila, Philip-pines

Contact Number: +63 918 511 9445

UPMASA Scholar

P.S. I would also like to extend the good news that the medicinebatch before us (class 2009), also the first batch to experiencethe OSI curriculum, posted an excellent passing rate in the re-

cent Physician licensures Exams(99.3% passing rate I think). Their re-sults somewhat allayed our insecuri-ties and doubts about the newcurriculum.

-jose

33

TThhee SScchhoollaarrss SSaayy TThhaannkkssletters received from the UPMASA Scholars

The UPMASA

Dear Dra. Redmon,

Good Day Ma'am!

I am Rita Mae C. Ang, 3rd year medical student from the UP College of Medicineand a recent awardee of the UPMASA Scholarship.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you and to all the members ofUPMASA for awarding me the scholarship. I also received the Littman Stetho-scope from Dr.Fabella. It was very timely because we are now rotating at theOut-Patient Department and seeing patients everyday.

I am thrilled to learn that you are also from Los Baños. My parents know Ma'amJane Abalos and I myself have been in their shop a couple of times.

I am the second child among a brood of four. My brother, who is the eldest, isalso a graduate of UPCM Class 2006 and is currently taking his first year of resi-dency in Pathology. I have two other sisters, one taking BS Chemical Engineer-ing and the other Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in UP Los Baños. My parentsare meat vendors at the local public market and they also own a poultry incuba-tor business beside our house in Los Baños.

I have been a scholar from High School to College and now in Medicine. I tookmy secondary education at the UP Rural High School which is now relocated inBay, Laguna. Ever since I have always wanted to become a doctor and I took mybrother's advice to take up BS Public Health in UP Manila as a pre-med course.Public Health opened a lot of opportunities for me and strengthened my desire tobecome a doctor and to render service to our people.

Right now, I am going through the ups and downs of medical school. I can saythat I am learning and enjoying at the same time. After graduation, which is twoyears from now, I plan to join the "Doctors to the Barrios" program of the Depart-ment of Health for two years. At present I am actively involved in various com-munity-oriented projects within and outside the UPCM.

After two years in the community, I plan to go back to the hospital to train for In-ternal Medicine. I have been always fascinated by Infectious Diseases andRheumatology, these two being my favorite subjects.

There is so much I would like to share to you but this letter has already becomeso long. Me and my family are very happy because the scholarship helped payfor my tuition and other miscellaneous expenses. I feel blessed to know thatthere are doctors like you who have faith in us. I promise to study well and learnfrom everything that life is teaching me. Again, thank you very much and GodBless!

Sincerely,

Rita Mae Cabillon Ang

34

The Scholars Say Thanksletters received from the UPMASA Scholars continued

The UPMASA

August 27, 2009

Faith T. Obach23 Ipo St.La Loma Q.C.

Dear Dr. Manuel Dalope and UPMASA,

Greetings!

Thank you very much for your continued support for my medicaleducation. I have already received the grant for the first semesterfor this schoolyear worth $500.00.

I am currently on the third week of my OB-Gyn rotation in fourth year medical proper (clerk-ship).. I have already gone through the Pedia and Family Medicine rotations. They've beenvery challenging, and I'm getting used to the routine 24-hour duty schedule every 3 days. I'velearned a lot and seen a lot in PGH, and all my experiences with the patients, co-clerks, in-terns, residents, and consultants are helping me become more eager to learn and work hardto become a good doctor. I've learned to deal with difficult patients and harsh working condi-tions, and I've learned to love my role as a clinical clerk in the hospital.

Your support is really a very big help for our family. The extra money that is left after payingtuition fee is used for some of our household finances. I am always grateful for the fact thatI'm able to continue my studies in the UP College of Medicine/ PGH with much less worries inthe financial aspect. Thank you very much.

More power and best regards to you and your family! God bless!

Respectfully Yours,

Faith T. ObachUPCM, LU VI Class of 2011

From: Drew Camposano <drewbobwerd@yahoo.com>Date: Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 12:42 PMTo: Dra Redmon

greetings!!

its been quite a while since i last thanked you for your generosity, the over-whelming tasks of hospital work was a big factor, probably. ( i dont think i wasable to say thanks for my allowance last year, so here goes, THANKS ALOT!!!). But now i'm an intern who is supposed to be more adept at handling,and adapted to, the stress, (well i do hope i am). To say the least, the pastyear, my 4th year in medicine, my year as the clinical clerk, the youngestmember of the team, has been very fruitful and fun. Now that i'm an intern andnot the youngest member of the team, i find myself still having fun and havingfruitful experiences. And with better time management skills, to be able to sayTHANKS for this sem's scholarship allowance.

on a more sober note, as i get closer to graduation and the boards and a tasteof being an MD, i find myself more and more confident that being a doctor iswho i want to be. And for the many incalculable ways the financial assistanceyou have provided thru the years have made that realization possible,THANKS A LOT!!!! And God Bless!!!

*DREW, MD2B

35

The Scholars Say Thanksletters received from the UPMASA Scholars continued

The UPMASA

From: Ms Ana Maria Karla Datiles Date: Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 9:11 PMTo: coredmon@gmail.com

Dear Dr. Redmon,Greetings! I just wish to share some good news. I have

passed the medical boards and will be taking my residency in PGH. I'm still todecide on whether to take Anesthesiology or Internal Medicine. I've been seek-ing God's help for this life's major decision.

As UPMASA's scholar, I also want to share that I graduated as cum laude, top 6 of the class, Most Outstanding Medical Graduate (Dr. Augusto Camara Awardfor Academic Excellence in Medicine) of Class 2009, Most Outstanding Intern, Outstanding Intern in Family and Community Medicine, Neurosciences, Psy-chiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Ortho-pedics, and Rehabilitation Medicine.

I would like to thank all my sponsors for their generosity and kindness. Their support has very much helped me throughout my medical school.

Sincerely,Ana Maria Karla Aguinaldo DatilesUPCM Class 2009

36

The Scholars Say Thanksletters received from the UPMASA Scholars continued

The UPMASA

UPMASA scholars

InternsLouren BlanquiscoJose DumagayJose DuyaAbigail BantocJohn Camposano

4th year (level 6)Mark GomezGlady FacunFaith ObachJoey TabulaRita Mae Ang

3rd year (Level 5)Dan PinedaFides BuenafeFerdinand SuarezCarmela SalesDerick SumalapaoLuisa BragaisKevin BismarkAlberto Ong

2nd year (Level 4)Maria Cesar delRosarioBrent VirayMajah Jacob

37

UPMASA Gives 2009- 2010: UPMASA Scholars: Medical School, Nursing, et al. Professorial Chairs Teacher Awards Faculty Awards

PROFESSORIAL CHAIRS

Dr. Alberto Roxas (Dr. A. Ramirez PC)Dr. Abundo Balgos (Class 69 Admin.)Dr. Edward Wang (Dr. F. Velcek PC Admin)Dr. Marissa Valbuena (Dr. Victor & T. Nanagas)Dr. Lolita Cavinta ( Dr. C. Villanueva Biotech)Dr. Alvin Marcelo (J. Pellicer Med Informatics)Dr. Ramon Arcadio (Dr. Jess and Libby de Leon)Dr. Sokson Cua (Dr. Cagas / A Jongco Ped PC)Dr. Myrna Sedurante (Caledonio Tolete- Velcek)Dr. Sally Vios (Dr. Nadal Mascardo PC Physiology)Dr. Josefina Almonte( Dr. Nanagas Ped Surgery)Dr. Carissa Dioquino( Blinder Fund-Dr.Pat Reyes PC in Neuroscience)Dr. Irma Makalinao (Dr. and Mrs. CesarGonzales-Pharmacology)Dr. Elizabeth Paterno (Dr. C Cabacungan PC in Family Medicine)Dr. Arlene Samaniego (Dr. and Mrs. Wal-frido Feliciano-Anatomy)

Dr. Lorna Abad (Drs... Gil and LutVasquez Moises Abad- Pediatrics Neonatology)Dr. Evangelina dela Fuente (Dr. Ed Dujon-T Fulgencio – Psychiatry)Dr. Edgardo Ortiz (Dr. and Mrs Jose Sunio- Pediatrics)Dr. Alfredo Fontejos (Dr. Ely Suson, Tito Ejercito grant in ENT- Head and Neck Malignancies)Prof. Teresa Quevedo (Dr. Pat and Lig-aya Reyes Grant in Home Economics)

Recipients pending for FY 2009-10

Dr. Edward Lim PC in Orthopedic Anatomy in honor of Dr. Antonio Rivera, MDDr. Roberto and Mary Jo Velasco PC inOrthopedic SurgeryDr. Roberto Velasco Faculty grant for Physician WOC(without compensation) in Orthopedic SurgeryDr. Damir Velcek PC in Pediatric Surgery donated by Dr. Francis Tolete Velcek

Ulysses GopezKirth AsisJeffrey Lappay

OthersMikhail Esteban (Dr. A. Brion)Josefina Nanates (Dr. Bernard Rogers)Dr. V and T Nanagas - pendingDr. Benny Jongco - pending

NursingJohn Ulysses Galo

BEST TEACHERS AWARD 2009Dr. Nathaniel Labio(Basic Science)Dr. Godfrey Robeniol(Basic Science)Dr. Ester Perserga (Clinical)Dr. Francisco Anacleto (Clinical)

DR. SOLITA CAMARA BESA AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE 2008-9

Dr. Isidro Sia (Pharmacology) $4000

S. Illinois Missouri Faculty Awards 2008-9

Dr. Agnes Mejia (Int. Med)Dr. Cecilia Jimeno (Pharmacology)

The UPMASA

Projects

1. Scholarships: I received the biodataof the scholars for the first time from the scholarshipcommittee. This reflects the trend of choosing schol-ars from all corners of the Philippines compared to 5years ago when we had students primarily fromLuzon.There are now 5 pass through scholarships from

the Nanagas family, Ben Jongco Family, Arnel Brion,Bernard Rogers- MU Sigma Phi , and Francis Vel-cek, in addition to the 25 that PEF is sponsoring.

2. Faculty Development: More andmore donors are requesting that they have a say inhow the PC is chosen and do not want to leave thedecision with the Dean and his committee. Someprefer that the choice be at the department level.This has good and not so good implications. We planto disburse these monies individually to recipientswith a preceding letter of financial changes made byPEF. Joe Peczon said that only 5% should be dis-bursed from the corpus of the PC. The only change needed here is the disburse-

ment of funds and how much. Due to the request ofthe previous administration of Dr. Mon Arcadio, wehave been giving a minimum of $1000 for the pro-

fessorial chairs. This has been going n since 2001when Offie Bernabe was still treasurer. We were toldthat the faculty was turning down PC s because themoney was not enough to justify the work involved infulfilling the requirement of 2 lectures in their field orone paper annually. A PC used to cost only $15,000till 2001, of which 5% would have been $750. the PCendowment was increased to $20,000 in 2005 andthen $30,000 in 2007. I recommend we have a pass through system for

faculty also. If a class wants to help a promisingclassmate faculty, this can be done similarly like thescholarship pass through funds.

Perla Ocampo PC: PEF has received a total of$4200 for this professorial chair.

3. Computerization, Medical Infor-matics, EmeraldsOct 21, 2009 was the day of opening the new Li-

brary cybernook where all the 13 computers werereplaced by class 71. The students are eagerly look-ing forward to this event. They complained the oldcomputers were too slow. They also asked for com-puters in the student union and 2nd floor of the mainbldg.

UPMASA has supported the computer system of

UPCM since 1996. Class 67 just spent $50,000 toupgrade the system. The network cables of UPCMstill go through the PGH system.

4. Library Project: I want to concentrateon this project for the next 2 years. Despite the pres-ence of electronic media provided by UPCM's Her-rera Library and PGH's Pfizer Library, there is greatdemand for books especially in the major PGH de-partments. The problem in PGH and UPCM Libraryis network maintenance. Some PGH residents andeven faculty cannot afford their own laptops. Thescholars tell me they love Wifi in UPCM.

According to my recent survey, there are 60 general Internal Medicine residents and an-

other 60 in subspecialtiesPediatrics 78Surgery 84OB GYN 60 Anesthesia 32Radiology 30

Total: 404 in 6 major departments not includingthe 12 other smaller departments in PGH In addition, there are 200 interns (150 from UP

and 50 from other schools)

.

38

Follow up of PEF ProjectsConchita D. Redmon, MD,

The UPMASA

1. SummaryOctober 16, 2009Report of PEF Committee - First Qtr 2009

Financials: The momentum of the current stock market caught everyone bysurprise. It has had its fits and starts but if this trend is a portent of things tocome, we may see some profits by the end of the UPMASA fiscal year. Thestock market is forward looking and this recession may well be behind us. OurPEF portfolio has done well since its lows of February and March of 2009.

Value of Assets In Schwab Equities/VanguardDec 31,2008 Schwab $2,004,895October 14,2009 Schwab $2, 416,878 (+411,914)October 14, 2009 Vanguard checking account $ 82,753Total assets October 14, 2009 $2,499,631UPMASA's fiscal year is July 1 to June 30.

We withdrew $50,000 in March 2009 for the Buenafe auditorium which wasinitially pledged for Prof chairs and scholarships. This is our first withdrawal in 6years since we've been with Portfolio Solutions, our financial advisors. Our assetallocation remains at 60% equities and 40% fixed income. The financial strategyused by our advisors is so simple that it is almost boring. We are invested inindex funds and do rebalancing only when necessary. The tweaking with assetallocation is very minimal. Our fees are also minimal, at .25% ($2500/million).We anticipate about $75,000 in dividends and interest this year. The income wereceive in dividends and interest almost parallel the yield of 10 year bonds whichis 3.3 to3.75% /year. Bonds have had a run-up this year. We have decided tostay the course and have been amply rewarded. There has been very little

change in our portfolio during this recession.Contributions and Disbursement FY 2009Contributions to PEF- July to Oct 15,2009 $ 86,445Disbursement to UPCM and PGH: July 2009 to October 15, 2009 $50,078PEF Disbursement for FY 2008- see attachment (pie chart) Scholarships and

faculty development (Prof chairs, faculty awards) make up 50% of our disburse-ment. Library budget is higher by about $2800 more but purchases of books inJune 2009 were not paid till Aug 2009(another FY fiscal year) and will thereforeappear in FY 2009's expenses. The clinical trials program ends December 2009and no further subsidy will come from UPMASA as decided by the Finance Com-mittee.

2. PEF Expenses (Disbursements) - See Attachment below

Library Matching GrantOur matching grant is $20,000, half of which has been pledged already.

$5000 has been paid. Our goal is to have a library fund of $250,000 to $300,000so we can maintain the computers in the Library, buy books, educational cds ofabout $10,000/year. Henry Echiverri is buying the books and we have a new vol-unteer who is helping us, Nenette Geronimo, Klotz Falk of Florida. We currentlyhave $60-65,000 in PEF for the Library. The matching grant should add $40,000to our library fund.

PGH resources donated by UPMASAns1. Radiology: Dr. Gonzalo Chua, an academic radiologist from Indiana Univer-

sity and of the IKOT chapter donated all his teaching slides, Cds, audio visualsin radiology to the Xray Dept of PGH

2. Dr. Ben Rigor is sending a box of anesthesia books and journals donatedby his colleagues at the Univ of Louisville, Kentucky.

39

Report of the PEF Committee, October 2009

The UPMASA

3. Pediatrics has slowly built up its collection oftexts in the last 4 years from the donation of Dr.Conception Switala.

3. LibraryI believe that electronic online services is the

way to go with a supply of basic texts for eachdept. PGH is the largest training institution in thePhilippines. How can our interns and residentslearn without basic texts and journals? Interns de-scribe rotations in several PGH departments as"toxic". This is something that has been in their vo-cabulary in the last 10 years. According to Dr.Agnes Mejia, chief of Medicine, an intern or resi-dent owns 1-2 books during the rotation and resi-dency due to the prohibitive cost of books, eventhe International edition, which is generallycheaper than the US edition. It is my vision to pro-vide our housestaff with resources so that they canlearn medicine based on solid information. I wantto elevate their training from " I do one- you do onetype of education" to one based on knowledge.This is especially true in the surgical specialties.

Online resources at Herrera UPCM Library:1. MD consult database($6500/year)- 51 med

reference books, 52 journals, 35 clinics of NorthAmerica, 600 clinical practice guidelines.

2. Access to Proquest, Springer, Science Directthrough UP Diliman Main Library

Alvin Marcelo's recommendations:1. Subscribe to HINARI (Health info Network,

funded by World Health Organization) $1500/year.Free to 40 poor countries but not free to Philip-pines which exceeds per capita income of $4000 toqualify for free subscription

2. Biomed central $3000/yr for all of UP Manilaallows UPCM to publish there at low or no cost.

I need your feedback on this (whether to ventureinto funding libraries in PGH in addition to fundingthe UPCM library. I think this project is achievable.

Request for financial aid from Med studentcouncil to extend library hours from 4pm to 9pm: (from student Council president Joey Tabula).

Attachments for request of books and officeequipment.

1. From dean's office: $37,000 worth of equip-ment ( we have given them $5-6,000 from this list )

2. From UPCM Library- Physiology, OB GYN-books and equipment

3. From Internal Medicine: list of Books4. From Microbiology and Parasitology, statis-

tics, epidemiology: Books and equipment

To check what is in our library go to:http://ilib.upm.edu.ph. This is their OPAC or elec-tronic card catalog.

40

The UPMASA

41

Appendix, PEF Report

The UPMASA

Aphone call from my classmate Lilet was the perfect tonic for an otherwise “blah” afternoon. I have been giving undue attention to coughs and sniffles and I hope shehalf understood what I said with my nasal “Lauren Bacall” bedroom voice. Well, Nashville was quite an event to remember (or forget?) depending on oneʼs point ofview. I will savor each moment before the onset of short term memory loss! It was wonderful to see all the familiar and not so familiar faces. I try to identify everyone

I meet especially people of interest in the past. It takes effort not to showan expression of disbelief as one secretly takes stock of their assets andliabilities. They are most probably doing the same thing! As a whole, therewere more assets. I find myself more forgiving of myself and others as Igrow older.

The Pabidahan night was enjoyable! There was palpable excitement, highspirits and it seems a “devil may care” attitude. I know it for myself as Iwalked in with my “come and get me” cowboy boots!!! (RED). I reallywanted to wear a mini-skirt and tasseled cowgirl shirt but the sheriff mayhave to arrest me, and Willie might have to rob a bank to bail me out.What if he doesnʼt? The IKOT dance number was something else! I amnot sure if I can call it a dance, maybe it was interpretative modern dancewith a western twist? I suppose there are many things I donʼt understandabout dance especially that type of dancing. All participants got triple A foreffort and enthusiasm! The New York/New Jersey /Connecticut dancenumber wins the grand prize for ALL criteria. Of course, I expected asmuch from our multi-talented class 77. I have to say at this point that thehospitality of Greg Tiu and Ed V.A. Lim together with their families wasunparalleled. We all felt so welcome and they were the most gracious ofhosts.

The CME lectures only add to my pride as an alumnus of UP, the greatbastion of learning in our beloved country. Milton Amayun opened the program with a most informative talk on AIDS, but importantly, I was made aware of his deep com-mitment to his ministry of healing, both the body and the spirit. Edʼs (Ed V.A. Lim) talk was a breath of fresh air. He has an uncanny talent of combining high brow and lowbrow, enthralling his audience with easy grace and the least effort. I almost signed up for a hip joint replacement!!!

42

RReeuunniioonn:: nn..,, mmuulliinngg ppaaggssaassaammaa--ssaammaa;; mmuulliinngg ppaaggkkiikkiittaa--kkiittaa:: tthhee rreeuunniioonn ooff ccllaassss 11997777DDuullccee RRaammooss DDee CCaassttrroo,, MM..DD..,, ccllaassss ‘‘7777

RReeuunniioonnss

The UPMASA

Whenever I go to the Saturday dinner dance, I always keep myself open to alleventualities and I always enter the room with a resolve to have a great time. And

I always do.However, be-fore I canhave that an-ticipated greattime, Kuman-der Joy (JoyD i z o n - B u -manlag) al-ways puts methrough abaptism of firet h r o u g hdance!! Thistime “muslim”kuno! I shouldnot worry toomuch. I havea bad case ofstage frightthat I have toask for divine

intervention in the form of Milton who whispered to me in his most “ministerial”voice, “I will pray for you!” It gave little comfort as we sashayed (I stumbled) our wayinto the stage in the most colorful of costumes that no self-respecting Muslim willwear! I feel like a glass slide on the microscope stage, scrutinized first with a scan-ning lens then hi-power 40X where every little detail is revealed! I know I flattermyself thinking this. I know that the target audience ranges from the vaguely in-terested to the polite group whose expectations are low and thus easy to please

and quick to applaud. Of course there are those who are hypercritical who ex-pected a world class performance (Willie and Ompe!) Our dance was sooo shortthat I should not over worry. You blink and you will miss the whole thing! Lou, Fe,Boy, Jun, Buddy and Ed were fantastic with the fashion show. I think they can giveup their day jobs andhave a career change!Kumander Joy is reallya force to be reckonedwith! She is the only liv-ing creature that I knowwho can make us dothis against all oddsand convince us thatwe are great! When thedance floor wasopened to the public,class 77 always hasthe best time! Inhibi-tions out the door, withor without the help ofalcohol or other recre-ational drugs!

As I leave home, I canʼt help but be grateful for this time together with friends whohave become part of me. I discover new things about them and about myself. Idiscover that our lives are so intertwined and we are never more than a thoughtaway. Each encounter enriched our lives as we share love, laughter, pain and joy.As I fly home to L.A., I know that the words of this country song never rang truer,“ If you ainʼt loving then you ainʼt living!”(George Strait)

43

tthhee rreeuunniioonn ooff ccllaassss 11997777 ccoonntt’’dd

The UPMASA

I. The Promise

“Ted [1], why donʼt we hold our25th med school reunionas a cruise?,” TD[A] asked,

her voice sounding mischievous on the phone.“Yeah,” she continued, “It would be fun!.” At thispoint, I knew I had to ask the obligatory question.We were the two odd ducks in class after all: shewas the brightest, I am the youngest. And weclicked from the very first moment we agreed thatthis world is one big fat illusion. Maya, as wecalled it. “Why?,” I finally asked. “So thereʼs noplace to run off to if someone drove you crazy!,”she answered and let out a chortle. I laughed atthe thought of running into a ship rail with oceanall around me in the threatening indigo dusk ofHawaii just to escape someone I truly didnʼt like.“Oh, from you!,” I said, sounding ironic. “Yeah,”she said. No place for you to go to escape me.And hey, Ted,” she continued not wanting any in-terruption. The tone in her voice suddenlysounded serious, “Promise me youʼre gonna help put together our 25th, OK?Whatever form it materializes into. Just promise!.”

I did.

Three years later, she was dead.

II. My Problem

Ihate reunions. Not that I hate seeing classmates. To the contrary, I love seeingthem. Theyʼre like a long lost family of prodigal brothers and sisters. What I hateis being re-enveloped by a culture that emerges when the threshold of a collec-

tive is exceeded. There are many beliefs I donʼt share with the rest of my class-mates anymore. I have taken Socratesʼ advice to heart. “The unexamined life is notworth living,” he said at his trial for heresy. He was encouraging his students tochallenge the accepted beliefs of the time. Gods, religions, and prophets are buta few of the thorny ones that I have examined at the great expense of personal de-pression. Culturally, pageant after pageant and human-bestowed award uponhuman-bestowed award that initially tasted rich became annoyingly cloying, andthen became strong emetics. As soon as I jettisoned useless but tenacious mind-viruses out of my meme-addled mind, I emerged out of my lifeʼs examination thehappy heretic, the gay blasphemer. Socrates would be proud. No, my classmateswould not understand.But then, I made a promise.

III. Call and Consequence

The phone was ringing. It was Fe[2]. “Ted, thereʼs a reunion at Nonaʼs[B]house in Pennsylvania. You have to come,” she said urgently on the phone.“Itʼs at the end of October,” she said. “We need your creative input.” My gut

response was to recoil. I was busy reviewing for the double board exams to beheld in Paris that month. It was for something that TD had wanted to start in Hawaii.I promised Iʼd be properly credentialed for them: Anti-Aging Medicine and Nutri-tional Medicine. Even with her gone, I had continued. Now the dual board exam-inations loomed large. I had already imagined it in my head: three days ofback-to-back agony with no mercy. But I knew that Fe was just doing her job of co-ordinating with the UPMASA IKOT Chapter hosts. I looked at my calendar and saw

44

I D i d N o t E v e n W a n t t o G oTheodore B. Achacoso, MD, class ‘84

RReeuunniioonnss

The UPMASA

that I would have arrived back in the US at that time. “Iʼll try,” I replied. “If I go, I willbe both jetlagged and anxious for the results of my double boards. Iʼll not exactlybe the best company, but…,” I trailed off. I remembered my promise. “Oui made-moiselle, Iʼll go!”

IT. Getting There

“Then our theme should be health of mind and body,” Fran-cis[C] concluded at the Gladwyne, PA East Coast Re-union, after hearing the suggestions for a game show

(mind) and Tai-Chi dance (body). “Mind, body, and soul?,” Jami[3] wondered loudly.Jamiʼs wife, Leny[D], passed away many years ago, and like TD, she loved re-unions. In fact, she and Jami hosted one in their home in Maryland a long timeago. “Spirit,” I said absently, “Mind, body, and spirit.” I was mentally correcting ̒ soulʼas that invention by Descartes, when he was trying to come up with an explana-tion as to why we are ʻalive.ʼ ʻSoulʼ is such an old and dangerous meme, and justas pernicious as the now-defunct church fundraiser called ̒ purgatoryʼ. “And whatʼsʻspiritʼ supposed to be?,” Coralie[4] asked. “Nostalgia,” I said, “as in a video thatwill capture the zeitgeist, or the spirit of the time.” “And we promise to whoever isproducing this entire show that weʼll really help, right Zarina[5, Fe, Agnes[6]?,”Guia[7] volunteered. Guia always has that mother hen quality to her. Married toClaro[E], they also hosted a reunion at their home in Iowa a few years back. Agneswas conferenced-in by phone. “Yeah, Ted, who is going to write, direct, and pro-duce this show?,” Zarina asked in a half-mocking, half-pleading, totally jest-jab-bing tone. “Really, now, Ted,” Jun[F] piled on. All eyes were now on me. InimitableOlive[G], never to pass an opportunity like this said, “Eh, ̒ di, sino pa?,” and pointedright at me.Julie[8] put it aptly in an e-mail that was both nostalgic and amusing, ego-boostingand heart-warming. “Dear Ted,” her e-mail read, “Itʼs funny that after all theseyears, we still have to run to you for our creative pursuits.” Goodness! I wonderhow many of my classmates have recited lines from my plays and remembered

them? Do they even remember the lyrics that I wrote for Tao Rin Pala songs?What was the ode to biochemistry that I wrote and Raul[9] set to artwork again? Iremember it hanging atop the main lab door, with a straight view of it through thecorridor from the building entrance. My past was coming in bits and pieces, slowlyat first, then faster and faster. I felt like I was eating xiu-mai and drinking non-dietCoke at the PGH-ER at 2AM all over again. Burp! My creative juice was flowing.Curiously, instead of tasting like my usual tart Campari, this creative juice tastedlike ethereal guyabano. Despite the generous seasoning of anxiety and angst, it isturning out that my memories of med school days are surprisingly savory andtangy! I needed these memories to write the show.V. And Then There Were Three Parts“Since we are geographically dispersed, it is difficult to rehearse. Letʼs wow themwith technology instead,” I said during the first of our every-Sunday morning virtualmeetings via Yahoo chat and voice. I said this with crossed fingers, banking thatmy expertise in Medical Informatics would allow me to wing it and handle the mul-tiple complex pieces of video-creation software that I bought without any furthertraining. They are, after all, simply automations of what we would otherwise domanually. But twelve kinds of software, from titling to morphing to cartooning tographic and still picture animating to audio cleaning to video editing to 3D-ing toeverything else including the kitchen sink of digital film-making? I heaved a deepsigh when my hippocampus flashed a brief floating mind trivium (and reality check)that the introductory digital film-making course at NYU took 13 weeks! Damn thesehippocampi for activating my amygdala and giving me fearful shivers of self-doubt.I remember at Makati Med, Columbia U-trained Dr. Adapon used to make memeasure hippocampi to the fraction of the millimeter when I was a fellow in Inter-ventional Neuroradiology. Ah, more long-term potentiated hippocampal memoriesof my past were resurfacing. Eric Kandel be praised! Amydaloid nuclei be damned!Those who promised to help were all virtually present, Zarina, Guia, Fe, and Agnes,and those in Manila who cared and who were probably bleary eyed from the timedifference were present as well, Joel[H], Coralie, Jojo[10], Marilu [I], and Hilda[J].Here we were, using the latest Internet technologies to coordinate our show. Yet,when we were in med school, the digital camera was a rare animal. At the back of

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my mind, I assumed the bulk of the work was digitizing old photos and animatingthem for a video, but I was dead wrong. Later, it turned out, ninety percent of thework was soliciting materials for the show!Descriptor: “The longest”Clue: “body part”Contestants: Send to the stage one MALE contestant each from Class of 1964,1974, and 1987 who you think has “The longest” of this particular “body part.” The“body part” that we have in mind will be revealed onstage.Reward for having “The longest body part” compared to other contestants: $50Amex Gift Card

Yes, the first part of the show would be this raucous game. It would ensure theparticipation of most classes, allow for comedy, and provide sufficient humorousthreat of X-rated humiliation that never comes to pass by giving out G-rated an-swers. Like, “The longest tongue,” for example (Mick Jaggerʼs tongue might beconsidered X-rated, but thatʼs another rating standard). Besides, it would be sexyfun to get the female doctors with “the best ability” to show the “best ability to shaketheir booty” onstage! (I would emcee it in Filipino. Somehow, “pinakamagaling mag-pakembot ng puwet” sounds a tad naughtier than the English counterpart. ) It wouldbe a very scientific applause-o-meter plus hootʼn-hollerʼn-catcall audience type ofjudging. Yes, that would be part one of our show.“If our by-line for this show is ʻHow weʼve morphed in 25 years or the quarter of acentury morph,ʼ then letʼs morph the Tai-Chi dance,” I told Guia and Agnes, thedance mistresses. The Tai-Chi dance was now clearly part two of the show. Sincethe reunion is in Nashville, the country music capital, why not morph the slow,graceful, fluid, and peaceful Tai-Chi moves set to traditional Chinese music into afaster, livelier, brisker, energy-pumping dance set to Billy Ray Cyrusʼ “AchyBreaky”? I even suggested a tres progressive “Brokeback Mountain” tableau toend the dance at one time, and everyone seemed game (I nixed the idea later).Same moves on each side of the morphed music equals less work. That was musicto the ears of the dance mistresses.And then, more than two hundred hours later, I had created part three of the show,

the 6-minute video that brought the house down.

V. Being There

I entered the rehearsal room. There was a round of loud cheers, “Yayh, Te-e-e-e-ed ! Ted is here!.” Not rehearsed, not coerced. Just warm and spontaneous allaround. I felt buoyant seeing beaming faces from twenty-five years ago, a genuinegleam of joy in their eyes. The moment that I visualized over and over in fear thatI would be cold, aloof, and distant simply vanished. All I felt was the pure embraceof acceptance: You belong to us, we belong to you. What a fantastic cocoon to beenveloped in. This was not the cocoon of traditional culture that I dreaded wouldenvelop me. It was the cocoon of joy!“The entire show is PowerPoint-driven,” I started. “The show is in three parts: theGame Show, the Tai-Chi Surprise, and the Silver Video. There is a dedication of theSilver Video to Leny, Mila[K], TD, Fides[L], and Jay[M] before it plays,” I contin-ued. “Can we have a run-through of the entire show?,” Jojo asked.And so we did, taking notes of more logistical issues. Zarina was lead cowgirl forrounding up contestants for the game show. Guia and Agnes got busy making ad-justments to the dance formation and moves to accommodate late-comers. Andthen we got to the video. A hush fell in the room as it started. I was watching theirfaces. At the beginning of the video, a sepia-colorized still image of the UP Collegeof Medicine main building, I saw sheer nostalgia in their eyes. The video was work-ing. Soon people were smiling, then laughing, then screaming in delight as the im-ages and lyrics of the Tao Rin Pala song that the video was set to, played on.Marlen[11] was morphed to Marlerine Zeta Jones, Debbie[12] to Debbifer Aniston,Sar [13]to Cesyle McLachlan, Cathy[14] to Cathenee Zellweger, John[15] toJohnorge Clooney, Malee[16] to Malitney Spears… By the time my surprise end-ing began to play, the decibel level of the rehearsal room reached twice-deafeninglevels that they requested me to play it again to hear what Obama was actually say-ing! And then, almost simultaneously, they all requested the same thing: “Ted, be-fore you play this, can you ask the audience to please hold their applause andcheers until the end of the video? Otherwise, they will not hear anything.”

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The UPMASAIn the actual event, I complied with their request. With the audience almost barelycontaining its impending roar, I was glad I did!

VI. The Confessional Round-Robin

Wesat in a u-shaped arrangement of tables. The goal in this individualclass reunion soiree was to answer the question, “Whatʼs new?.”From where I sat, I was to be the first to speak, and then the an-

swers would proceed counter-clockwise.“Great news!,” I started, “I came in as number one in the Anti-Aging Medicine boardexam held in Paris last October, and number two in the Nutritional Medicine boards.” Everyone cheered. “Well, someone did score a point higher than me in NutritionalMedicine,” I mock-pouted. “And thatʼs whatʼs new.”Winston[17] was next to my left, and as he started speaking, my jaw dropped. Whathe was saying was more than courageous! Reminding me of a 12-step meeting, itwas a confession of sins past, a description of the rocky road to redemption, andultimately, the peacefulness of acceptance. There were low, reassuring murmursin the room. Here he was, coming clean and trusting us, the prodigal siblings of hisfamily. I felt privileged to hear what he was saying. Unwittingly, he had set the tonefor a confessional for the rest of those remaining to speak. On and on, the confessions went: Jean[18] with her “efficient dating” theory,Donna[19] and her daughterʼs trials and triumphs, Ronnie[20] and her nootropiccandy… I had to leave in the middle of the confessions. My eyelids were droopingand my body was weary. The night before, during rehearsals, the embedded audioof the show had deteriorated for some reason. I had stayed up until 4AM repro-gramming the audio and video streams so they were being run simultaneously butusing different laptop resources. That fixed the problem, but now I was tired. Muchas the mental voyeur in me would have loved to hear the rest, I stood up and left.Jean followed me. I thought she was leaving, too. She handed me a slender whitebox. “Just a token for all the hard work, Ted,” she smiled. I opened it: the famousSeeʼs Candies of California! Then she made me promise that Iʼd eat them, or atleast taste some of them despite my new medical specialties. I never realized that

my new specialties now posed risks to my sweet life!

VII. Driving Back After Independence Day

“Ted,can I pay you something for the use of your supercom-puter?,” George[21] asked by mobile phone. I was in the car,and a long drive back to my home in Washington, DC loomed

ahead. It took me a split-second to figure out his analogy. He wanted to pay me forthe use of my brain. “Why?,” I asked. “I felt like a king going to a banquet witheverything already prepared,” he said, then recounted the blast of a show and themega-fun we had the night before. He sounded excited, pumped, reinvigorated. Hesounded like he found his family, felt its embrace, and wanted eagerly to give back.We had re-bonded, all of us, to a new level of family: the unspoken reassurancethat we were going to be there for each other despite the span of years and dis-tance, past and future. More importantly, we closed the dance floor! “Can I payyou something for everything that you have done?, “ he reiterated. “George,” Isaid, “instead of paying me, why donʼt you donate the money to our class fund?”The next day, an e-mail message from the mailing list announced that he had do-nated $1500 in my name to the Class ʼ84 fund.

VIII. Manila, Manila

At Joelʼs strong encouragement, I returned to Manila in August to explore a part-time practice over there. The plan is, one month, Iʼd be an Anti-Aging InterventionalEndocrinologist and a Nutritional Medicine Therapist in Manila, then two months Iʼdbe a quant for an incubator hedge fund in DC. Iʼd use my Medical Informatics ex-pertise to do virtual patient follow-ups. “Youʼre the only one board certified in thesespecialties here, right now,” he said. ʻHereʼ at the second vainest country in theworld? Why not?The last time I was in Manila was a little over 12 years ago, as a speaker for thePhilippine Neurological Association on invitation by Dr. Martesio Perez. Threeweeks and back-to-back lecturing did not make me see much of my classmatesʼ

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transformation during my initial 9 years of absence. This time, however, what canI say, but a big, big “WOW!.” Wow to their expertise, wow to their local and inter-national training, wow to their geographic dispersal around Philippines and Asia ,and wow to their being on the very top of their game! The best thing is, despite theirvery busy lives, they still found time to spoil me as the Class “Bunso!.” (“An eyeexam? When do you want it?”; “A knee MRI? Hereʼs an opening.”; “Ted, I have setup business meetings for us tomorrow at the Manila Polo Club.”) What an incred-ible feeling!The preparations for the December 2009 UP Medicine Homecoming are pro-ceeding at a dizzying pace. I was immediately sucked into the whirlwind of activi-ties: dinners, class meetings, fundraisers with the Philippine Madrigal Singersalumni, long business and gossip chats on the phone, business and class meet-ings, and oh, endless texting! Much as I have referred to DC as “home” during allthese years, Manila felt like the cliché: “Home is where the heart is.” And UPCMClass ʼ84 is undoubtedly my untreatable cardiomegaly.I just gotta remember to buy a local, unlocked Qwerty keyboard phone this De-cember. Opposite the uber-chaotic Manila traffic (get a chauffeur, please), the fin-ger speed demons do 120 mph texting over there --- A LOT!

IX. December 2009

“Dear Ted,” Lynn[N] writes, “We need the topic of your talk for the CME on De-cember 21. The theme is ʻMedicine at the Edge: The Shape of Things to Comeʼ.”ʻHow timely to introduce Anti-Aging Medicine and Nutritional Medicine,ʼ I thought.Although resource-constrained at times, UPCM has always led, never lagged, inglobal advances in medicine. I remember the old Guazon Hall (which I hear is nomore) where one got audited for critical care cases, but where lack of resourceswas no excuse for not knowing what the optimal medical care should have been.Based on the basic anti-aging research and patents that I have been reviewinglately, however, a brilliant and naughty marketing ploy for my CME topic (that wouldnever see the light of day) transiently danced in my head: “Make the Most of YourSilver Years: A Chemical Cocktail for Non-Surgical , Permanent Penile Enlarge-

ment.” ʻHow many would pay to hear this?,ʼ I wondered.I read the schedule to check out all of the activities: Golf on December 16 at Val-ley Golf Club and Mu Sorority Ball in the evening, Phi Sorority Ball on December18, Homecoming Day on December 19 starts at 7AM and ends with individual classreunions, UPCM Homecoming Ball at the Sofitel on December 20, and CME onDecember 21.I sit back and scroll through my saved phone texts. Ah, here it is, from George:“Ted, Got so addicted to the TN reunion. Now driving up and down West Coast tosee what reunions I can crash.” I smile. Many of us who initially did not plan ongoing to Manila this December, but attended the TN reunion are now going. Manyof those who missed the TN reunion, after hearing the stories are now going.“Donʼt think, itʼs bad for you!,” TD loved to tell me. So donʼt think. Just go. Pop yourfavorite eugeroid for your jetlag and whoop it up at the December 2009 UPCMHomecoming Reunion in Manila! Take it from me. Because when this all started,I did not even want to go…-----Class ʼ84 Members Present in the TN Reunion, State of Residence, and CurrentPractice:1. Theodore Achacoso, DC and Manila, Anti-Aging Medicine and Nutritional Med-icine2. Fe Lardizabal-Lacbawan, MD and NY, Clinical Genetics and Molecular Pathol-ogy3. Jami Juvenal Reyes, MD, Pediatrics (NICU)4. Coralie Therese Dioquino-Dimacali, Manila, Nephrology5. Zarina Hernandez-Shipplick, NY, Pathology6. Agnes Magno-Laus, OH, Pediatrics (Adolescent Medicine)7. Guia Razon-Palma, IA, Physical Therapy and Tai-Chi8. Julia Maria Warren-Valdez, CA, Ophthalmology9. Raul Balagtas, FL, Nephrology10. Jacinto Blas Mantaring III, Manila, Pediatrics (NICU)11. Marlen Canlas-Yamsuan, Manitoba, Pediatrics12. Deborah Jane Co, PA, Rheumatology

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13. Cesar Calianga, TX, Infectious Diseases14. Catherine Lisondra-Krings, AZ, Palliative Medicine15. Abraham John Lo, Jr., CA, Nephrology16. Annamari Cabrera, CA, Pediatrics17. Winston Pineda, GA, Psychiatry18. Marie Jean Macarubbo-Goering, CA, Internal Medicine19. Donna Natividad-Duremdez, TX, Family Medicine20. Veronica David, CA, Internal Medicine21. George Reyes, CA, RadiologyClass ʼ84 Members There In Spirit:A. Maria Teresa Danao-Camara (deceased), HI, RheumatologyB. Winona Chua, PA, Pediatrics (Neurodev Disabilities)C. Francis Chuidian, MD, Pulmonary Medicine (Critical Care)D. Pauline Sioson-Reyes (deceased), MD, NeonatologyE. Claro Palma, IA, RheumatologyF. Manuel Peter Paul Jorge II, Manila, Pulmonary MedicineG. Olivia Ortiz, NJ, Infectious DiseasesH. Jose Noel Estrada, Manila, CEO of Vista Pharmaceuticals

I. Maria Luz Guytingco-Aquino, Manila, DermatologyJ. Hilda Aquino-Alava, Manila, Pediatrics (Allergy/Immunology)K. Milagros Ting (deceased)L. Fidel Burgos (deceased), Quezon, ENTM. Jose Javier Suntay (deceased), Manila, OrthopedicsN. Lynn Crisanta Panganiban, Manila, Family Medicine (Toxicology)

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Pauline “Leny” Sioson-Reyes (neonatologist) and Ma. Teresa “TD” Danao-Camara(rheumatologist and naturopathic physician), our dearly departed classmates, werethe moving forces behind getting our UPCM Class 1984 together in the US of A.

They planned, coordinated, and made reunions happen. Reunions were first held at EvelynRodriguez and Jake Bagtasʼ place, the first to have a home of their own, in Teaneck, NewJersey; then at Leny and Jami Reyesʼ beautiful home in Columbia, Maryland. It was excit-ing and heartwarming to see our classmates and their families again in this new land afterleaving our home country. Leny and TD have sadly moved on, leaving us before our jubileecelebration. To get the momentum going and to connect with everyone all over the world,technology was utilized via yahoo groups. Classmates far and wide were found through theegroup and the grapevine. A third reunion held at our (Claro and Guia Palma) home in Wa-terloo, IA in 2004, graced by UPMASA representative Jacinto “Jojo” Mantaring who flew infrom Manila, continued to affirm our bonds, provide excitement for the coming silver jubileeand the nidus for planning for 2009. There was a lull after as lives continued to be busy withwork, children growing up, and simply living. As 2009 grew nearer, Fe Lardizabal Lacbawanwas volunteered to be the UPMASA Class rep which she graciously accepted. More class-mates were found through the web, especially those who have not made any contact yet.

A fourth class reunion at Winona Chuaʼs home in Pennsylvania in the fall of 2008 graced byClass president Coralie Dioquino and Jun Jorge from Manila who were both in Philadelphiafor conferences The reunion at Nonaʼs underscored our big role as jubilarians, both in theUS of A and in our beloved Philippines. Ted Achacosoʼs creative juices started pouring, hiscreative bulb lit, resulting in a beautiful heartwarming video “Kahapon, Ngayon, Bukas” withour morphing through time into our American stars counterpart. The first TaiChi practice

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Ma. Guia Razon-Palma,MD class 1984

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was held in Nonaʼs home. TaiChi with a Achy breaky twist wasdeemed to be our contribution to the Global Health theme of the TNAnnual Grand Convention; a simple, easy, cost effective presentationof our class; along with a rendition of our award winning “Alay saDukha,” Tao Rin Pala original composition. Our class has the dis-tinction of being the only three year winner of “Tao Rin Pala,” theUPCM choir competition for the first three years of medical school. Thethree original songs were composed by Franklin Kleiner, arranged byRenato Jose, and lyrics by Ted Achacoso; our Tao Rin Pala triumvi-rate. The UPMASA Board of Governors meeting in the spring of 2009in Chicago, Illinois was attended by Claro and I as we were the clos-est to Chicago, a 6 hour drive away. The BOGS meeting impressedus with the tireless dedication, attention to details and adherence tothe UPMASA covenant that our volunteer leaders have expended allfor the love of UPCM and UP-PGH.

The untimely demise of Jay Suntay, orthopedist in Manila and FidelBurgos, hospital director in Laguna, the memories of Mila Ting fromCA, Lenny and TD reminded us again of how valuable every momentof life is, how precious loved ones are, and that we should celebrateeach passing minute we have with each other. A feverish pace of plan-ning and contacting classmates soon followed. A core group of vol-unteer kulits composed of Fe Lardizabal-Lacbawan, ZarinaHernandez-Schipplick, Ted Achacoso, Agnes Magno-Laus and I hademails galore, regular yahoo chats, connecting with Manila based

The UPMASA

classmates including Joel Estrada, Jojo Mantaring, MariluAquino, Coralie Dioquino-Dimacali. More classmates were con-tacted through phone brigades by the core group with MarilenCanlas, Donna Canlas-Duremdez, Julie Warren-Valdez.Emails and snail mail were sent, with the general plea of “pleasejoin us as we connect again” and please send in your generouscontribution for our class project and our gala expenses;” somegraciously received, some mysteriously lost in the mail. Wenonetheless plodded on. Zarina scanned photos for the videoobra de mastro of Ted and made the detailed class advertise-ment (with photos of TN attendees, list of 1984 UPMASANs andlyrics of “Alay Sa Dukha” against a backdrop of banig wallpa-per); our Tao Rin Pala winning songs, were found, posted in oure group by Ato and relearned (only while in TN through the lead-ership of Cathy Krings and Coralie, and surprisingly, we foundour voices again with John Lo as the main tenor); TaiChi step bystep written instructions and DVDs were mailed; scanned pho-tos were sent to Ted for our video (mostly from Hilda Aquino-Alava, Jami Reyes, Marilu Guytingco Aquino). TaiChi costumeswere found and ordered through ebay. The final list of TN at-tendees came into fruition: George Reyes (radiologist, patentedinventor from CA who has broken through his shell), John Lo(hospitalist and nephrologist from CA who came with wife,adopted class member Marichi), Anna Marie Cabrera (pediatri-cian from CA who has become knowledgeable on Americansports football, baseball), Debbie Co-Acevedo (rheumatologistfrom PN who came with Ricky and 2 beautiful daughters),Cesar Callianga (Infectious Disease in TX, gourmand and welltraveled) Julie Warren-Valdez (ophthalmologist and entrepre-neur from CA), Jean Macarubbo-Goering (internist well versedin OBG, enterpreneur), Winston Pineda (psychiatrist in GA whohas helped so many, including a classmate/s), Jami Reyes (pe-

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diatrician from MD who has raised Jeannine and Jonathan very well with Lenyʼs guidance fromabove), Catherine Lisondra-Krings (nurse practitioner in training in AZ, with strong filial ties to ourmotherland), Marilen Canlas (pediatrician from Canada, breast cancer survivor), Donna Canlas-Duremdez (family practitioner in TX, president of Philippine physicians association in TX), Veron-ica David (internist in CA with Jean), Raul Balagtas time money manager in Wash DC andcreative producer, director of our TN video), Zarina (surgical pathologist in NY and ever de-pendable Class 84 tireless worker), Agnes (internist from Ohio, enterpreneur) and me (physicaltherapist, homemaker, Yoga & TaiChi enthusiast from IA); along with UPMAS President JojoMantaring (neonatologist from UPPGH) and Class President Coralie Dioquino-Dimacali (medicaleducator, nephrologist, TN speaker), who both flew in from the Philippines.

We missed our UPMASA classmates who were not able to join us as we celebrated our silver ju-bilee and connected again in the IKOT hosted UPMASA AGC in Opryland, Nashville, TN: MarioAbad (cardiologist in PN), Bernie Abaya (nephrologist in TX), Jake Bagtas (anesthesiologist inNY), Rita Baens-Baylon (pediatric endocrinologist inGA), Alex Baylon (internist and pulmonolo-gist in GA), Stella Camillon Raposas (pediatrician), Winona Chua (development pediatrician inPN), Francis Chuidian ( pulmonologist in MD), Marge Co-Chu (allergist in NJ), Henry Costa (in-fectious disease specialist in TX), Maru Diocales Kendrick, Christopher Gonzaga (neurologist inNM), Monica Gonzalez-McGeever (internist in CA), Aldo Ilarde (nephrologist in TN), Ma. LuciaJugo- Consing, Evelyn Magsino-Bacuta (internist in LA), Carmel Anne-Malig-Canlas (allied healthcare in CA), Benjamin Marte (psychiatrist in CA), Olive Ortiz (infectious disease specialist in NJ),May Anne Pajel-Sio (family practitioner in PA), Benedicto Parker (psychiatrist in NJ), Karl Ranin(geriatrician in NM), Evelyn Rodriguez-Zeer (pediatrician in NJ), Arlene Roque (Pediatrician inNJ), Jose Antonio Santos (ENT, dialysis nurse in CA), Carlo Santos-Ocampo (cardiologist in FL),Eduardo Sembrano (pediatric pulmonologist in NJ), Mary Helen Young (internist in FL) and ClaroPalma (rheumatologist in IA).Bonds were truly strengthened, beautiful memories were created, a passion and dedication toUPMASA was borne out of our 25th year celebration of our graduation from our beloved UP Col-lege of Medicine. We sincerely thank the IKOT chapter for adroitly hosting our 25th year (and theother celebrating classesʼ) fete. We are looking for Talino at Galing.”

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Dear Friends.

On behalf of the Golden Jubilarians, UP Medicine class 1959, please allowme to give a brief history of our class and how we came to be, in the last year ofa nostalgic decade.

Way back then, we were elementary school students who went to schooleven as Japanese soldiers were all around us during the second world war.Then in the late 1940ʼs we attended high school. In 1951, with fresh faces full ofhope, most of us enrolled at UP Diliman.

When first I saw the iconic statue, the Oblation, arms stretched out to the sky,in all his natural state and splendor, I went into cultural shock. After all, I was justthen an innocent, newly arrived from the province. All the new and strangethings I saw for the first time jolted me into reality. Quickly I suspected some-thing was up. The powers that be seemed determined to educate me in theways of the universal man at the college of Liberal Arts.

Life on campus in the fifties was actually good. The warʼs memory had al-ready faded. The students were mostly serious and those who were not, flunkedout. But there was also time for fun and games. There were fraternities, sorori-ties and the UPSCA. Monthly and weekly socials were held where boys met

girls. But you know, in those days, the girls had a habit of saying this: No! Noway! Specially if the girl came from my province.

So in 1954, 90 freshman from Diliman, other campuses and other schoolsenrolled at the UP College of Medicine.

In medical school and at the PGH, we had both unique and common experi-ences that is also well known to all UP graduates. Our stories range from frus-trating, humbling, funny, ridiculous and sometimes inspirational so that at theend of the day, the whole equation was balanced.

And so it was that in 1959, 72 out of the 90 of us crossed the finish line. TheUP College of Medicine, at long last, in all seriousness, called us, Doctors ofMedicine.

Since that long ago, we all went separate ways. We have distinguishedclassmates in the Philippines as well as North America. And we have just asmany classmates who led quiet lives while serving others. Sadly, 16 in our classhave passed on.

So for us Golden Jubilarians, class 1959, in the autumn of our lives, it hascome to this. It is now a time to reflect and a time to give thanks. Fifty years, itʼsbeen a long, long time.

My friends, we present the Golden Jubilarian attendees:

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TThhee JJuubbiillaarriiaannss’’ GGaalllleerryyGGoollddeenn JJuubbiillaarriiaannss ccoonntt’’dd

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TThhee JJuubbiillaarriiaannss’’ GGaalllleerryy

Dr and Mrs. Augusto Amurao Dr. and Mrs Antonio Donesa

Dr. Chuang and Dr. Evelyn Ong-Chuang

Dr and Mrs. Cesar Gonzales

GGoollddeenn JJuubbiillaarriiaannss ccoonntt’’dd

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Dr. Jesus Jimenez

Dr. and Mrs Enrique LorenzoDr .and Mrs Saturnino Reyes

Dr. Maximo Parayno

GGoollddeenn JJuubbiillaarriiaannss ccoonntt’’dd

The UPMASA

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TThhee JJuubbiillaarriiaannss’’ GGaalllleerryy

Dr and Mrs. Rady VillaflorDr and Mrs Antonio Cruz

Dr and Mrs Rodolfo Santos

GGoollddeenn JJuubbiillaarriiaannss ccoonntt’’dd

The UPMASA

UP Medicine class 1959, Golden Jubilarians this year, held a reunion for thoseresiding in North America during the UPMASA annual grand reunion held this yearin Nashville, Tennessee July 1 to July 5, 2009.

A total of 11 Golden Jubilarians and their spouses had a chance to rekindlefriendships and catch up on precious moments of each otherʼs lives as they wentdown memory lane.

The attendees and their families went on the river cruise organized by the UP-MASA. The ambience and the beautiful scenery and the sights and sounds as theriver boat went its way certainly made shared memories of good times past in stu-dent days seem acutely like it was just yesterday. Even our jokes and banter onthe river boat deck gave a faint hint of nostalgia and everyone seemed somehowyoung again. Then the professional musical revue and delicious dinner on theboat made the evening complete.

Our class attended The Grand Ole Opry Show to sample authentic countrymusic, its mores and local lore and customs. We enjoyed this slice of Americana.

We held our mini reunions and we organized an intimate dinner party for theattendees and their families at the Volare Ristorante at the Opryland Complex.

Our class attended the different UPMASA functions and proud to say, attendedthe current medical education updates. As Golden Jubilarians we found the pres-entation to be of practical use, with interesting tid bits and plenty of good humorduring the discussions.

The Golden Jubilarians were part of the opening parade of the classes at theGala Dinner Dance on July 4 and were led by a special guest, our classmate Eve-lyn Ong Chuang who came from the Philippines to attend, carrying a banner forGolden Jubilarian class ʼ59 designed by our classmate Augusto Amurao.

The Golden Jubilarians were featured in the early part of the program on GalaNight. Dr Tony Cruz, Golden Jubilarian from Chicago, Illinois gave a brief historyof class 1959 and then introduced each Golden Jubilarian attendee, giving shorthigh lights of their careers. The celebrants and spouses then took a walk aroundthe ballroom. The assembled Jubilarians were then each presented with a goldenmedallion by the UP President Dr Emerlinda Roman assisted by UPCM Dean Al-berto Roxas and presidents of UPMASA and IKOT UPMASA chapter.

A capsule of the introduction of attendees is as follows:

1. - Augusto Amurao, married to Anita Leynes, UST medicine 1959. Have 3 chil-dren and 4 grandchildren. Augusto practiced general surgery, trauma and criticalcare in Wilmington, Delaware for 30 years.

2. - Evelyn Ong Chuang, married to George Chuang, UP medicine ̓ 58 practicedOB Gyne in Manila, Philippines after training in the USA.

3. - Antonio Donesa, married to Barbara Quinn, accomplished Neuro Surgeonfrom Fort Wayne, Indiana, highlighted member of class ʼ59, third president of theUPMASA, recipient of UPMASA lifetime achievement award. Has 2 importantlegacies to UPMASA: collated the first ever UPMASA alumni directory and startedPEF, now an important arm of the UPMASA.

4.- Cesar Gonzalez quiet scholar of our class, married to Gilda De Vera, 4 chil-dren and 6 grandchildren. Had a very successful career in insurance medicine,being the first certified Filipino in insurance medicine and a board examiner for in-surance medicine.

5.- Jesus Jimenez, was married to Julianne Iris Monica (deceased). Had 4 chil-dren and 9 grandchildren. Practiced general surgery and peripheral vascular sur-gery. He was a part time teacher.

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UUPP MMeeddiicciinnee ccllaassss 11995599,, GGoollddeenn JJuubbiillaarriiaannss

The UPMASA

6.- Enrique Lorenzo, and wife Lucy Zarate, a nurse clinician, are enjoying re-tirement in Rocklin, Ca. Ike is a board certified anesthesiologist who practiced inChicago, Illinois and is now retired. He reads books, specially history and philoso-phy, plays chess and does gardening.

7.- Maximo Parayno, Jr married to Teresita Donato, graduate nurse. Still activein primary care in California. He trained in public health and psychiatry and had asuccessful career in both.

8.- Saturnino Reyes, married to Bonnie Guzzetti, 3 children. Successful gen-eral surgeon. Both are active in church and in community. Church man of the yearNinoʼs Motto “Have AED will travel” Sums up Ninoʼs Community Commitment, mak-ing defibrillators available when needed.

9.- Rodolfo Santos married to Nora Banzon, UP Chemistry, happily retired, tak-ing care of grandchildren in Boston. Successful career in internal medicine. Their 4children took turns enrolling at Cornell, Stanford, Princeton, Duke and PhiladelphiaUniversity. Canʼt believe those kids have not heard of Harvard. Rudy served asPresident of Delaware Valley UPMASA chapter.

10.- Rady Villaflor, married to Connie, a nurse. Board certified anesthesiologistpracticed in Michigan and then Texas. Compassionate physician who went on sur-

gical mission to Philippines, Panama Cityand Sumatra, Indonesia. Plays violin, Spanish guitar and harmonica. Wrote elo-quently of spoiling his grandson to make up for lost time with his own son whopoignantly pointed out the hospital as the house where his daddy lives.

11.- Tony Cruz, married to Clarita Vicente, UP school of nursing, 4 children and8 grandchildren. Trained internist practices Primary Care in Hanover Park, IL.Served 10 years on UPMASA board of Governors as President of Chicago NW In-diana chapter, national treasurer and finance chairman.

During the Gala evening, comments made such as “the Golden Jubilarians lookyounger every year” made their chests puff out. So in this spirit of “young at heart”,Golden Jubilarians Nino Reyes and Tony Cruz ably represented the “oldies butgoodies” by presenting in dance the 7 “Mutya of UPMASA” during the evening fash-ion show.

After all that exercise, the Golden Jubilarians are now looking forward to joiningtheir counterparts in Manila come December, 2009.

A. B. Cruz, class ʼ59.

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The UPMASA

61

Republic of the Philippines Province of Zamboanga del Norte

Municipality of Pres. Manuel A. Roxas

RURAL HEALTH UNIT

July 20, 2009

DR. CONCHITA REDMON

Dear Dr. Redmon,

Greetings from the barrio! I am Dr. Pilarica I. Caguiat, a member of UPCM Class 2008 and one of

the former recipients of UPMASA Scholarship Grant, 2004-2008. I am currently deployed as a

Doctor to the Barrio in the Municipality of Pres. Manuel A. Roxas, Province of Zamboanga del Norte

(I am one of the 11 members of Class 2008 deployed as a Doctor to the Barrio).

I am assigned in the area that has been doctorless for five years now and no regular public health

nurse for three years. Being deployed in the area for about seven months now, I have identified some

gaps/issues in the delivery of health services in one of meetings with the health staff. Some of the

identified concerns are so basic in any health facility but cannot be addressed with the meager

budget that our municipality has. Some noted gaps include the following:

1. Renovation of the health center (repainting of walls and repair of flooring)

2. Acquisition of laboratory equipment (microscope, centrifuge machine, glucometer)

3. Acquisition of personal computer for data management

4. Acquisition of emergency equipment (stretcher, wheelchair, ambubag)

5. Acquisition of equipment for delivery room (delivery kits, droplight, sterilizer)

It is an understatement that we need all the help we can get. In the spirit of equity and consistent

with our college’s vision-mission, I am sincerely asking for any assistance that you can extend to us.

Any form of support will be greatly appreciated. Please be with me in extending medical help to the

underserved

Thank you very much and more power! God bless!

Respectfully yours,

DR. PILARICA I. CAGUIAT

UPCM Class 2008/Doctor to the Barrio Batch 25

P.S. Attached herewith is the municipality profile for your guidance.

TThhee UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff tthhee PPhhiilliippppiinneess CCoolllleeggee ooff MMeeddiicciinnee

The UPMASA

DDeeaarr ccllaassssmmaatteess,,

Our UP College of Medicine this year started requiring each freshman tosign a promissory note to serve the Philippines for three years after graduation .Each graduate will have at most 5 yrs to comply with his promise or risk beingcharged double the amount of the subsidy the Filipinos will have spent on him.This year's freshmen will start Philippine service between the years 2014 to2019.

Although this idea had been brewing among previous Chancellors andDeans in the past decade , the present Dean Bert Roxas has been its biggestproponent . For his devotion, Dean Roxas' contract has been renewed for an-other term. He estimates that when the balikbayan project is in full swing , thewhole country will have at least 480 doctors working among Filipinos some ofwhom had never had a full fledged physician before.

To soften the first blow, the Dean asked volunteer students last spring towrite about their experiences at the 10 days summer immersion project. Theywere accompanied by clinicians who showed them how to do circumcisions ,physical exams and nutrition advice . The essays have sounded encouragingthanks to the innate goodness and hospitality of the rural Filipinos who made thestudents feel very welcome. Rural doctors already working in the area also gavethe new students some tips . Three of the essays are attached to this article.

The very first summer immersion prizes will be awarded August 11, 0A2009at the BSLR from 8-10 AM at the UP College of Medicine.

UPMAS Executive Director and Class 63 President Tos Pineda will speak

about the inspiration behind class 63's incentive in awarding this noble summerproject. The audience will include new UPCM students and the current awardwinners. It would be great for any class 63 alum to attend the ceremony.

The following document is the outline of the UPCM regionalization Programwhich will be discussed at the awards ceremonies by Tos. Congratulations toclass 63 for this opportunity to serve our beloved country once again.

TThhee UUPP CCoolllleeggee ooff MMeeddiicciinnee RReeggiioonnaalliizzaattiioonn PPrrooggrraamm (UPCM RP)

Main Objective: To identify deserving students in the various provinces whowould be accepted into the UPCM and eventually practice in their respectiveregions.

Regionalization Program Committee

The UPCM Regionalization Program Committee (RPC) is one of the com-mittees under the UPCM Dean. The RPC was given the latitude to developschemes and programs that would nurture and cultivate the RP students de-sire and motivation to work in their respective communities. In the year 2000,the RPC was reinforced by new faculty members and has been meeting reg-ularly. They adopted a more stringent criteria for acceptance into the pro-gram to discourage backdoor entrants. The Regionalization StudentsOrganization was organized and quarterly symposia had been held. UPCMgraduates practicing in the provinces were invited to share their experiencesand woo the RSO students to go back and practice in their hometown.

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CC ll aa ss ss 11 99 66 33 aa nn dd ii tt ss NN ee ww ee ss tt PP rr oo jj ee cc tt

TThhee UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff tthhee PPhhiilliippppiinneess CCoolllleeggee ooff MMeeddiicciinnee

The UPMASA

To further foster their desire to practice in their home-town, the RPC prepared various activities that will fa-cilitate the integration of the medical graduate into themainstream of medical practice in their region. One ofthese activities is the Structured Summer ImmersionProgram.

SSuummmmeerr IImmmmeerrssiioonn PPrrooggrraamm::

General Objectives:

1. To develop studentsʼ appreciation of the country; 2. To evaluate the feasibility of starting a practice in

the community 3. To establish a network of contact people (govern-

ment/health personnel); to form linkages; 4. To integrate oneself/ones roots in the community

The general flow of the summer immersion pro-gram:

1. Meeting & discussion of activities with respectiveRegional Advisers. Regional Advisers are also mem-bers of the RPC.

2. Submission and approval of the Regional Advis-ers of the activities to be done in accordance withtheir learning objectives.

3. Identification of Field Preceptors. Field Precep-tors are usually UPCM-PGH alumni based in the re-gions who guide them during their activities. In theabsence of an alumni in their areas, MHO/City HealthOfficials act as their Field Preceptors.

4. Submission of communication to selected FieldPreceptors to be signed by their respective RegionalAdvisers, RPC Chair & UPCM Dean.

5. One to two weeks summer immersion 6. Submission of Summer Immersion Program Re-

port following the report format before enrollment.(pre-requisite before enrollment for RP students only)

7. Evaluation of the Summer Immersion ProgramReport 0D by the Regional Advisers

8. Post immersion meeting with Regional Advisers. 9. Presentation of Summer Immersion Program.

This is usually done during the orientation of incomingRP students to give insights to newcomers how thesummer immersion is done.

The students find the activities not just fun and fulfill-ing but also gave them the opportunity to build deeperrapport with the people to whom they will render serv-ice when they finally return after graduation .

I am sharing with you the write-ups of the nomi-nees for our Student Award for Best Summer Im-mersion Program, to give you a glimpse of thestudents' summer work and how their immersionseemed to have "touched" them to Philippinehealth care situation enough for them to feel theywould like to spend some time of their professionallives in Philippine communities.

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The UPMASA

UPCM RP 2012:REGION IIIBarangay Tinajero, Bacolor, PampangaDel Rosario, Maceda

The most down-trodden barangay in the town said to be nearly erased fromthe map of Pampanga after the 1995 Mt. Pinatubo eruption, Barangay Tinajerostrives in the municipality of Bacolor. After more than a decade, life in the com-munity still has every trace of the devastating calamity that hit them, crashingany hope of every local for the life that was. Many of the original residentschoose to live in the resettlement areas in the different towns of Pampanga.Most of those who have decided to go back have no source of livelihood. Only acouple of their barangay leaders actually live in the community; the greater ma-jority of them resides in and very rarely visits Tinajero.

The RP summer immersion 2009 in Tinajero is the sequel of the 2008 im-mersion. It began with a series of forums with the MHO, the midwife and BHWregarding the recent developments and the arising needs of the community. Acomprehensive survey was also conducted to get to know the community folkbetter. With the help of the MHO, the Municipal Planning and Development Offi-cer, the midwife, the local community leaders and the BHW, a situational analy-sis was drafted. As it turned out, the health status of the people did not alleviate,if not, it got worse. Their greatest concerns were food on their tables and thelack of a source of livelihood. A few mothers pointed out that they worry abouttheir childrenʼs general attitude towards life. A barangay councilor raised thealarm on the danger of the untested single water source of the whole community.The situational analysis along with conversations with the midwife and MHO re-vealed that the crippling concern was the peopleʼs learned helplessness andhopelessness.

Thus, pro-active activities were formulated along with the community andheath leaders of Tinajero. Livelihood programs were conducted with help of theprovincial government. The Regional Office of the Department of Agriculture wastapped to provide vegetable seeds that may grow in the Tinajero soil in thehopes of addressing the nutritional and livelihood needs. A sensitive water pota-bility testing for bacterial and physiochemical analysis was conducted with thehelp of the UP College of Public Health. The regular basic check-ups, along withthe conduction of the Garantisadong Pambata program showed them the needto be more health conscious and the risk of not consulting to a physician amidstmoderate/severe disease. Public health lectures for mothers discussed identify-ing and managing the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the area; thatis infectious disease and cardiovascular events. The childrenʼs health campaignfocused on everyday hygiene and sanitation, and the value of initiative. Theheartwarming open forum with adolescents aimed to reach out to the next gener-ation and to show them that there is hope if they choose to take control of theirlives. Generally, all the activities aimed to encourage the people to be pro-activein health and to empower the leaders and the health workers towards the battlefor health and wellness.

After 14 days of traveling to and fro Tinajero, the students canʼt help but feelhumbled yet hopeful, themselves. The immersion was rather fruitful that it im-parted both parties not just communityhealth consciousness but also valuablelessons in life. Thus, we pledge to finishwhat we started and to never forget ourroots, to be of service to the people ofour region as competent yet compas-sionate doctors.

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Region 2 Summer Immersion SynthesisDumlao, Gopez, Masiddo, Salva, TaganasThe immersion was conducted in Lasam, Cagayan, a town 72 kilometres

away from Tuguegarao City- the capital of the province of Cagayan. All of uswere new to the place except for one member of the group who had relativesthere. We prepared ahead of time and we formulated these objectives as guidefor us, namely: to generate information on the barangayʼs health status; to estab-lish a connection with the communityʼs health department; to inform, educateand make the residents aware of the importance of health; and, to provide attain-able steps and basic information in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, family andcommunity. With these objectives, we were able to survey the health status ofthe barangay using standardized survey forms and interview questions; inform,educate and make the residents aware of the importance of health and its man-agement through easily understandable, short lectures during the process of col-lecting data; collect and analyze data from the surveys; summarize andconsolidate data into easily understandable and usable forms which will be usedin improving their health system; and, interview and collect data on each mem-ber of randomly selected households and use it to generate their family wellnessplan. We would not be able to accomplish all of these things without the help andguidance of some barangay officials and barangay health workers who diligentlyaccompanied us all the time. This allowed us to connect with the communityʼshealth department.

The immersion process was a very inspiring event in our medical education.This allowed us to get to know people outside UP-PGH, and Manila. Our recentexperience made us realize that there are many people who are in need ofhealth services. The conduction of survey gave us a sneak peek of the generalhealth condition of the entire barangay of Nabannagan West. We have knownthat many families prioritize safe and balanced diet as a primary way of main-taining their household health. The survey also allowed us to learn about thehealth behaviours of the people and how they seek help if they are ill. Majority of

the families interviewed do not visit their health centres regularly, they would onlyvisit the health center when they are in need of medical assistance, or when theirsickness is already a hindrance to their daily chores. Furthermore, still great per-centages seek help to the traditional healers like the albularyos and many useherbal remedies instead of medicines when there is occurrence of sickness. Aparticipant observation type of learning gave us the opportunity to interact withthe Filipino masa and to understand their health issues and practices. In line withthis, our presence during the house-to-house survey made the people happy in away that they are grateful for the attention and time we have allotted to hearingtheir problems.

On our part, it made us realize how limited our current knowledge is, that al-though we really want to extend our help, we are just limited to interviewing andadvising them to regularly consult or visit the barangay health station. For this,we certainly applaud the efforts the barangay health workers exerted and con-tinue to exert in helping their fellows. In the future we hope to continue our workand as we gain more knowledge in medicine, we look forward to educating themand helping them in their quest for health and wellness.

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The UPMASA

Region XLeonard Christopher T. Sena*2002-52053

During my summer immersion I conducted study entitled New opportunities forhealth care in the Philippines: integrating the care of older persons public healthsystems. This was co-authored by my mentors Dr. Lester Sam Geroy from WHOand Dr. Grace Buquiran from the Malaybalay City health Office.

This study intends to answer practical questions at the local level. Is it the righttime to integrate health care for older persons in primary health care? How can itbe done in order to achieve good results? What should health care for older per-sons at the local level include? What are the existing structures that can supportthis expansion of health service? Will it be sustainable and socially acceptable inrural Philippines?

The place of study was in my hometown, Malaybalay city. It is the capital ofBukidnon Province the home of pineapples, in Northern Mindanao, Philippines. Itis an agricultural city and has a population of 141 958 in 2005. It is an idealvenue to conduct this research on the existing institutional framework and oppor-

tunities to integrate health care for older persons into the public health structurebecause of its active Senior Citizens Organization, supportive municipal and vil-lage (barangay) leaders, and multi-awarded public health system.

The objective of the study is to identify and analyze the existing health programsfor older persons within the socio-cultural and institutional frameworks and iden-tifies opportunities for development. Due to time constraints, the most plausiblemeans of achieving this is through a Focus Group Discussion. FGD of key in-formants and stakeholders were conducted to identify the socio-cultural aspects,existing programs, local government support, and challenges for health care ofolder persons. Triangulation of results was done to determine areas for consider-ation in integrating care for older persons within the public health system.

We found out that health care for older persons can be improved within theframework of existing community structures. Elderly Filipinos are open to thepossibility of being cared for by non-family community members. Socio-culturalconsiderations, current health challenges, existing community and public healthactivities, local government support, and opportunities were also discussed. Inte-gration of care for older persons within the public health system requires holisticapproaches, financial support strategies, capacity enhancement for the healthworkforce, and community involvement.

I opted to do a research instead of following the protocol for post LU4 summerimmersion because I find this study very relevant to my community and that theimpact would be long lasting. The strength of this study is its adaptability to othermunicipalities. The Philippines is in socio-demographic and epidemiologic transi-tion. As causes of morbidity and mortality are shifting to non-communicable dis-eases, the population of the elderly increases. I encourage other members of theRSO to do similar studies, relevant to your community profile.

* Fifth prize winner

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The UPMASA

Speech Given by Florencio M. Pineda, MD, class ʻ63

SHARING OUR DREAMS

Good morning, Chancellor Arcadio, DeanRoxas, Chairman Gonzales, friends and fel-low students.

It is an honor to be invited to speak before you thismorning. I wish to thank the Dean and the College forthe opportunity given to our class to participate in thisvery worthy and important project. I shall be speakingin behalf of my classmates who are the real sponsorsof this award.

Some of them are here but most of them are abroad.

When I was assigned this task, I asked the Chairman,Dr. Gonzales what he wanted me to say. He simplyasked, “ Why are you giving this award?”

Hence, I am here to give to give you our answer. I callit: “ Sharing Our Dreams “.

Allow me to explain.

Several years ago when most of those in the audiencewere not yet born, 120 eager young students enteredthe building along Herran street at it was known then,with big dreams. In 1963, 106 of them realized theirdreams of becoming doctors of medicine. They then

pursued their dreams further to become well if not thebest doctors they hoped to be by taking different path-ways. Some stayed home. The majority left forabroad.

Ten years later, together, they decided to share theirdreams with medical students who needed financial as-sistance. The class ʻ63 Student Scholarship Programwas established and was able to assist five students tocomplete their medical education. They are all suc-cessful physicians now.

To share their dreams with more students, they reha-bilitated and upgraded one of the most used class-rooms, Room 222 and helped in its maintenance, andprovided its audiovisual equipment, for the past 20years. The class also sponsored the rehabilitation ofone of the modules of the Multidisciplinary Laboratory,mainly from the generosity of our classmates abroad.

During our Ruby Anniversary Celebration, the classwas awarded “The Most Distinguished Class for theyear 2003” for outstanding achievements in the differ-ent fields of medicine here and abroad including com-munity health and charity clinics.

For our Sapphire celebration last year, the classsearched for a worthy project, which we could affordconsidering that many, are already retired. Fortunately,our concept of encouraging students with outstandingachievements fit into the Deanʼs Regionalization Pro-gram. We fully subscribe to the concept of our gradu-ates serving in the different regions of our country.

For one, we have seen how our three classmates whodevoted their lives in their provinces were able to servetheir communities very well. One became the Dean ofa Medical school in Iligan; another became an out-standing pediatrician and civic leader in Leyte and thelast served as Regional Hospital Director in Bohol.

It is in this light that our class is fully supportive of theDeansʼ Regionalization program particularly the Im-mersion Component. It has committed financial supportfor the next 10 years and beyond, as long as we can.In fact we have already received additional donationsand pledges for this project for future benefits.

In summary, we believe that by supporting the Re-gionalization Program in some way, we will be sharingour dreams for better health and services with our peo-ple and hopefully, they will achieve their dreams too. Inclosing, let me quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “ Weare inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discov-ery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is noduplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities. “

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TThhee UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff tthhee PPhhiilliippppiinneess CCoolllleeggee ooff MMeeddiicciinnee

The 1st prize: Winners were those from Region VI/ Brgy. Pawa,Panay, Capiz :

Marie Joan Therese Balgos, John Andrew Camposano, LorenzAlfred Gonzales Joseph Jenus Sarabia, Jacqueline FrancesMomville, Chris-Angelo Reynaldo, Rhodieleen Anne dela Cruz,Jabbel Jayawon, Kenneth Jorge Lasafin, Wendel Marcelo andRommel Gonzale