After two years of virtual ceremonies, the UP College of Pharmacy held a face-to-face White Coat Ceremony (WCC) with a total of 80 students from BS Pharmacy and BS Pharmaceutical Sciences officially cloaked during the Dec. 3 ceremony held at the UP Film Center, UP Diliman.

The theme for the 2022 WCC was “MetamoRPhosis: Redefining Filipino the Pharmacist in the Post Pandemic Era.” The word metamorphosis brings to mind new beginnings and a transformation, relevant to the changing roles and increasing recognition of pharmacists in the provision of healthcare especially during the pandemic. This rite of passage marked the preparedness of student pharmacists to accept the challenges of the profession in various fields of pharmacy practice.

For this year’s WCC, the guest of honor was Mr. Paul Marvin T. Quizon, alumnus of the UP College of Pharmacy and currently the Head of Regulatory Affairs at Pfizer Philippines. Other invited guests were Ms. Ma. Gilda Sebua-Saljay, president of the Philippine Pharmacists Association, and Ms. Krishelle Anne M. Obispo, president of the Young Pharmacists Group-Philippines.

CP Dean Francis Capule opened the ceremony by challenging the honorees to let the white coat “be the guiding light for future colleagues to enter various fields of pharmacy practice” and for the white coat “to exude honor and excellence” in the remaining years of the students’ UP education and as they transition to practice.

UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla also left a fruitful message to the honorees in the hope for the white coat to symbolize the students’ commitment to perfecting their craft with the purest of intentions in
providing healthcare.

The first White Coat Ceremony in the Philippines, spearheaded by the Young Pharmacists Group (YPG), was held at UPCP in 2010 as a venue to emphasize the professional growth of pharmacy students. The white coat symbolizes the students’ commitment to the practice of professionalism and their responsibility towards the patient and their well-being as future pharmacists.

I Mikaela Guinto, Danielle Labradores, Valerie Millena, Jess Lemuel Salo