Text by: Ehcel S. Hurna
Photo by: Joseph A. Bautista
Members of the Alumni of the UP College of Medicine and various personalities gathered at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall on January 30, 2024 for a special celebration to recognize the generosity of donors to the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM) and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
“Revolutionizing medical education, innovation, and leadership has always been the landmark of a UP medical education but service to the nation, our patients, our communities has driven our tripartite mission of education, research and patient care of the highest order. We hope to continue our partnerships, drive our shared goals of building healthier communities especially as we embark on the full implementation of universal healthcare in our country,” UPCM Dean Charlotte Chiong said in her welcome remarks.
Former Senator Richard Gordon, Honorary President of the Philippine Red Cross, affirmed his continuous support to UPCM on behalf of the donors. He said, ”When Dr. Chiong asked me to sponsor scholars I said, ‘yes!’ and I said, ‘how many do you want?’ and she said, ‘I have 12,’ and I said right away, ‘no questions, let’s do it.’ Let me tell you that we’re going to have another 12 not just for [Doctor of] Medicine but also for [Bachelor of Science in] Public Health and this is just the beginning because I’d like to have a super tie-up with UP. We should have a school for people involved in rescue.”
“PGH is the best – that’s what my mother said. And I believe her. So definitely, I am looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship not because of its form but because of its substance… Let me congratulate you again and thank you for continuing the effort and being the forefront, the pathfinder of change – you creating new paths,” he added.
Bayanihan: Hurdling All Challenges
The spirit of Bayanihan, evident during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, has fostered partnerships with various groups and individuals that persist to this day. Some of the UPCM sponsors and donors who came to the event are the UP Alumni Society in America (UPMASA), Monde Nissin Corporation, Mu Sigm a Phi Foundation, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), Pe Gan Heng Foundation, the Philippine Red Cross, UPCM Class of 1967, UPCM Professor Emeritus Dr. Nelia C. Maramba, and other groups and individuals from different fields and careers.
The donations given to UPCM include scholarship funds, financial aids, laptop donations, plastination projects, test kits and personal protective equipment, surgical microscopes, dissecting tables, and other necessary medical gears and apparatus. UPCM also received assistance for their innovative projects such as funding of Acta Medica Filipina and scholarship grants for the MD-MPH and PUSH ONE UP program.
