“Dr. Banaag brings an everything-will-be-all-right mood into any meeting or any situation that we have, and I think through the years that’s what we have. I have felt with him every time I’m near him or with him in any activity or conference.”

Dr. Gerardo D. Legaspi, Director, UP-Philippine General Hospital

“He had a rare gift—the ability to see potential in others and nurture it with patience, wisdom, and compassion. Generations of psychiatrists stand here today as living testaments to his dedication.”

Dr. Anna Lizza S. Mañalac, President, Philippine Psychiatric Association

“I had him for two solid 24/7 mentors. I was the first [fellow], and we had to put the program together, and that was such a blessing. It changed my life. Such that my daughter thought, when we asked her, sino ang national hero, ‘Dr. Banaag,’ [she said]”

Dr. Marian Portia R. Valles-Luspo, Past President, Philippine Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

“Dr. Banaag, to you, sir, to you our tatay, the Philippine child psychiatrist father. Your life’s work lives on in every clinic. In every clinic where a child is treated with dignity. In every family that finds hope. In every resident and fellow, and us too, forever your learners who choose the field because they saw your example. You have taught us how to serve. Thank you for the blessing of being with you throughout these years.”

Dr. Henuina D. Ranoy, President, Philippine Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

“But what I do remember vividly to this day is the tone and timbre of his soothing voice. It was enough to calm the apprehensions and trepidations that I had about entering medical school at such a young age. That soothing sound of his voice continues to live on in our memories. Like a lullaby from our childhood that calms us in times of fear and doubt. It’s a sound that we will miss as much as his wisdom and simple eloquence. I recall that the most encouraging thing that he said to me was that he was glad that I’m now the training officer of our department, while firmly gripping my arm to emphasize his genuineness and sincerity as he usually does.”

Dr. Michael P. Sionzon, Philippine Psychiatric Association

“In one of our tranquil sessions, you [Dr. Banaag] offered me an advice I have never forgotten to this day and continue to advise my overzealous young students—not to overthink, not to overwork the obstructions of and in music in relation to oneself, and to balance it with other equally important pursuits such as sports and the like, especially having a healthy adolescent social life.”

(Musical Tribute) Mr. Renato Lucas, Cellist and Conductor, UST Conservatory of Music

“What I would remember most about him is not so much the big lessons he taught us in child psychiatry but his warmth, his openness, and his ready smile whenever we met each other. So, farewell, Dr. Banaag. We are honored to have been your students. We hope to be able to live up to your legacy. Not just being a good clinician, not just being a professor emeritus, but really a good and kind person.

Dr. Bernadette Heizel Manapat-Reyes, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, UP Manila

“He had that unmistakable gleeful laugh and that joyful attitude towards life, and as Director Gap said, the sense that everything will all work out like a child. So he had this laugh, a laugh that came easily, fully without restraint. A laugh that disarmed, that invited, that made space. He brought that same quality into his work with children. He understood with clinical and human clarity with how the world can take laughter away. How hurt, confusion, and neglect can diminish the light in a child’s face. And so he practiced something both simple and exacting—he met them where they were. He entered their world of play, of imagination, of as if. If you have observed him in dealing with child, he’s actually like a child. He sounds like a child, and he talks to the child like a child.”

Dr. Alma L. Jimenez, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine, UP-Philippine General Hospital

 “Without making a spectacle of generosity, you gifted me those shoes. It was a small act, perhaps, in the eyes of others, but in it was everything. Your attentiveness, your generosity, your understanding of both longing and restraint. It was, in its own way, a perfect act of attunement. That moment stayed with me not because of the object itself but because of what it revealed about you. You saw people fully. You responded with precision and kindness. You gave not only what was needed, but what was deeply felt. 
As we stand now in your absence, we are reminded of the words of Romeo and Juliet, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” Sweet because of the immense privilege of having known you of having been guided, mentored, and cared for by you. Sorrow because your presence, steady, wise and quietly transformative, will be profoundly missed. And yet you remain in the way we listen more carefully, in the way we pause before speaking, in the way we try, however imperfectly, to meet others where they are. You remain in every patient we encounter, in every trainee we guide, and every moment we choose to mentor over distance. You were more than a mentor, more than a leader; you were and will always be a father to those of us fortunate enough to have walked alongside you.
So thank you very much, sir, for seeing us, for shaping us and for loving us in ways that continue to endure. At sir, namayapa na rin yung mga sapatos na niregalo mo sa akin, pero ang mga yapak no’n ay buhay na buhay.”

Dr. Constantine D. Della, Head, Division of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine of the UP-Philippine General Hospital

“Dr. Banaag, you always remind us that behind every diagnosis, the patient’s family is a story. A child longing to be understood. So if you notice during case conferences, you say something, and then he will follow through, making it more understandable and better for the one listening. So Dr. Banaag, you have inspired generations of child psychiatrists, and you always want us to do our best. You personally told me early on to go places, and he said in practice for the young psychiatrists, you have to go around so that people will know you, and then later on you want to find out, or you want to make a decision where you’re going.”

Dr. Norieta Calma-Balderrama, Past President, Philippine Psychiatric Association

He could see potential in a trainee and make space for them to flourish on their own terms. Never bending a mentee to fit his own agenda. And it felt like providence that when I decided to practice at the Medical City, that was also where Sir served next as chair again after retiring from PGH, or perhaps subconsciously, I was more than happy to follow my mentor. He continued to affirm and encourage me in ways that stayed with me long after the conversations ended. He would tell me, “Jo, I’d like you to go and attend the meeting on my behalf, because when you speak, people listen. 
He called me a senior consultant before I even thought of myself as one. He appointed me interim residency training officer there and invited me to serve as a co-advisory board member at UMed; these weren’t just opportunities. They were acts of trust from someone I deeply admired.

Dr. Josefina Ly-Uson, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

The doors opened during my third year of residency in 2024 my batchmates and I would drive to from PGH to the medical city every Thursday morning, eager for our 2-hour sessions with him. Those mornings were sacred; we didn’t just discuss clinical theories, we explored art, politics, and every brilliant thing in the world. We sat captivated, shared anecdotes of meeting giants like Stella Chess, his adventures of training abroad, or the history of his beloved Angono. 
Every session felt like a deep reflection, not just on psychiatry but on the world we inhabit. He pushed us to look beyond the textbooks to live with integrity and to nurture our own spirituality. He taught us that to heal others, we first had to understand of ourselves. Many of his teachings have become my daily mantras, like his practical advice to parents, “to connect before you correct,” and his constant reminder to not get stuck in the practice of psychiatry alone. After graduating residency, I entered private practice, but I soon felt a familiar tug. I felt stuck, and I realized that the parts of my work that felt most meaningful were the ones where I could apply his gentle, holistic approach to the youngest and most vulnerable patients. I realized that the best way to honor the father of child psychiatry in the Philippines was to become one of his children in the field.

Dr. Paola Quidlat, 1st Year Fellow, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UP-PGH

I’ll never forget my kilig when he first asked me if I could eat lunch with him, as he wanted to make sure that I didn’t have to travel back to PGH hungry. Free food is always a highlight of one’s day, but the lunch date with Dr. Banag. Wow! We have bonded over exercise after I complimented him for taking the fire exit. go down eight flights of stairs. He shared his love for art and history, and his garden, and his home in Antipolo.

He narrated his epic love story with Ma’am Josie, a long-distance relationship that surpassed time, space, and myriad of other challenges. He spoke proudly of his kids, whom he’d sometimes humorously use as examples for psychoanalytic concepts. He also shared stories of his other children, kids that he would literally meet on the streets, but would later become scholars that he helped graduate. I would live in the afternoon full of food, stories and lessons.

Dr. Andrew Stephen Lim, Member, Philippine Psychiatric Association

“I also had the chance to travel with Dr. Banaag in China. We attended a meeting on pediatric bipolar disorder. It was just the two of us at that time, and he was already in his early 80s. So, because it was just the two of us I felt a sense of responsibility. Parang na-anxious ako. Sabi ko, “Paano ko madapa si Sir? I have to help Sir. Kasi 80s na siya eh.”
Okay. So, but we were stranded we actually were delayed for 8 hours in the Hong Kong airport. And while we were traveling, sabi ko, “I have to assist sir, make sure na okay siya.” No, but lo and behold, when we were walking at the airport, mas mabilis pa siyang maglakad sa akin. Ako yung tumatakbo, ako yung hinihingal kakahabol sa kanya.
So there is so much more I could say and so many more stories of Dr. Banaag as we all have. But what I will carry with me are not just his teachings but how he made us feel, seen, supported, and believed in. So, Dr. Banaag, thank you for everything. You have shaped not only a field but a generation of healers. You didn’t just teach us what to do, but you showed us how to be. How to be competent, how to be compassionate, and how to be kind. And through all of us, through every patient that we see, through every child that we care for, and every family that we guide, your life’s work will continue. We will carry you with us always, and we will continue the work that you began.”

Dr. Evelyn Gapuz, Division Head, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

“On behalf of the UP College of Medicine, we honor Professor Emeritus Cornelio Banaagad Jr. as the epitomy of what a compassionate and caring physician educator, a leader, and advocate for patients. But most importantly, we will remember him as a person whose profound humanity has touched us all.
His contributions to child and adolescent psychiatry to psychiatry and to the practice of medicine will be long remembered and imprinted in the annals of the UP College of Medicine. His talks on mental health have been inspiring to all who have had the privilege of attending his lectures.
Generations of students, residents, and trainees will always cherish him for his mentorship. To his family, thank you for sharing him with us all.”

Dean Charlotte Chiong, Dean, UP College of Medicine

“Dr. Cornelio Banaag is my gold standard in diagnosis and management, in how to care for patients, and in how to live with wisdom and compassion.”

The event reached its conclusion as Dr. Portia R. Valles-Luspo led a choral blessing dedicated to the Banaag family. It was a simple yet profound gesture, mirroring the quiet grace of a man who served as a “North Star” for the Philippine psychiatric community, a constant, warm, and guiding light. For those present, the tribute was a small reciprocation for a lifetime of service that transformed the lives of the marginalized and brought healing to countless Filipino homes. 

Dr. Lorelei Melanie K. Elma, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist