Text and Photos by: Jericho Paolo L. Mabansag
Every person carries a dream. For Riza Jane Apostol Odilao, class valedictorian of the University of the Philippines College of Allied Medical Professions and the sole Magna Cum Laude of the Speech-Language Pathology class of 2026, her journey began as a quiet aspiration in her hometown in South Cotabato, Mindanao.
Speech-Language Pathology was never her initial destination. Language, to her, seemed abstract, unpredictable, and inherently challenging. Yet, an impactful class, rigorous clinical practice, and the raw, vulnerable conversations shared with patients and their families redirected her path toward a purpose far deeper than she had ever envisioned.
“Inihanda ako ng propesyong ito sa mas makabuluhang pangarap kaysa sa una kong pinlano. Isang propesyong nakaugat sa paglilingkod at malasakit,” Odilao reflected, describing a discipline that restores pakikipagkapwa, a deep, Filipino sense of shared humanity. Like how a Grandma can once again tell her grandchildren, “I love you,” or a child can understand the sweetness of their parents’ words.
Her message resonated throughout the college’s recognition ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center. Commencement speaker Dr. Miguel Angelo Mantaring reminded the graduating clinicians that success in the allied health sciences transcends metrics. It “isn’t measured by how many lives you save,” Mantaring told the graduates. “It’s by how many lives you transform to make it worth living.”
Allied professionals make life worth living by not merely providing therapy. They help restore people’s pakikipagkapwa. Odilao’s words remind her batchmates, “Hindi lang natin ginagawa ang trabahong ito para gumalaw muli ang mga braso o masabi ang mga salita. Ginagawa natin ito dahil naniniwala tayong higit pa sa kakayahan ang ating naibabalik. Naniniwala tayo na kaya ulit ni Lola na sabihin ang mga salitang mahal kita sa kanyang mga apo. Kaya ng bata na unawain ang tamis ng salita ng kanyang mga magulang. At kaya ng binata na bumili ng paborito niyang tinapay mag-isa.”
This commitment comes at a desperate hour for Philippine public health. According to a 2025 survey by the Philippine Association of Speech-Language Pathologists, the nation’s provider-to-population ratio paints a harrowing picture of systemic scarcity when measured against international benchmarks:
This stark deficit, compounded by relentless overseas migration, an aging population, rising disability rates, and severe urban centralization in hubs like Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao, leaves rural communities functionally abandoned.
Facing these structural gaps requires both personal conviction and institutional resolve. UP CAMP Dean Mia Rotor urged the class to anchor themselves in the graduation theme, “Roots and Wings,” reminding them that the university has sown the seeds of the values of Honor, excellence, and service, and hopes that the young professionals will imbibe these values long after their training in the university.
To ensure this talent serves where it is needed most, UP enforces the mandatory Return Service Agreement (RSA). “RSA is not a restriction. It is an intentional strategy for nation-building, a guarantee that for at least two years, the Filipino people receive care from the very best OT, PT, and SLP graduates the country has to offer, and which they rightly deserve,” Dr. Rotor said.
Reinforcing her message, Dr. Mantaring noted that bridging the gap between a broken reality and an ideal healthcare system demands unyielding endurance. “Perseverance will erase the boundary between feeling like an imposter to feeling like you are truly in control of changing the world and setting out on your mission of helping others,” he said.
Yet, as these young practitioners step out of the university’s halls and into a landscape battered by systemic flaws, the true test lies in maintaining their resolve. The daily grind of a system in crisis can easily erode even the fiercest ideals, threatening to turn wide-eyed advocates into weary survivors. That is why the whys are tantamount to perseverance.
“Sana sa bawat pasyente na ating makikilala, maging bahagi tayo ng bagong landas na magdadala sa kanila pabalik sa pakikipagkapwa, sa pag-asa, at sa kanilang mga pangarap,” Odilao added, leaving her batchmates with a timeless rallying cry. “Lagi’t lagi, para sa tao, para sa bayan.” She refused to let cynicism claim the last word. She challenged her peers to reclaim the ideal that we serve to help fulfill the dreams of our countrymen and that our country remains worth fighting for.
Perhaps the relentless, exhausting noise of our daily struggles and the compassion fatigue we are subjected to in the Philippines have beaten down our resolve, clouding the bright ideals we once held. Perhaps we are all in need of redirection, just as Odilao experienced, a reason to believe once more. We must dare to revisit the dreams we sowed for this nation, to remain fiercely, unapologetically idealistic that the Philippine healthcare system still has a fighting chance. Odilao, carrying the quiet weight of a generation refusing to surrender hope, remarks, “May mga pangarap lang na naghihintay muling paniwalaan.“
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