HOW IT STARTED - EYE MEDICAL MISSION

"MY FIRST EXPOSURE TO MEDICAL MISSION DATES BACK WHEN I WAS A RESIDENT IN EENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS HOSPITAL FROM 1968 TO 1972. EVERY SUMMER SEVERAL MULTISPECIALTY MEDICAL MISSIONS ARE ORGANIZED BY THE MEDICAL MISSION INCORPORATED OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS HOSPITAL, AND EACH GROUP GOES TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE PHILIPPINES. A MEDICAL MISSION TEAM IS CONSIST OF MEDICAL CLERKS AND INTERNS, RESIDENTS FROM DIFFERENT SPECIALTIES AND CONSULTANTS. I HAD THE CHANCE TO JOIN IN SEVERAL OF THESE MISSION FROM THE NORTHERN PROVINCE LIKE ISABELA, VISAYAN ISLANDS LIKE LEYTE, AND MINDANAO IN SURIGAO DEL SUR AND AGUSAN. IT WAS DURING THIS EXPOSURE THAT I REALIZED THE EXISTENCE OF SO MANY POOR AND NEEDY PEOPLE WHO NEED MEDICAL HELP. AFTER MY RESIDENCY, MY FAMILY IMMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES. AFTER MANY YEARS OF HARD WORK I WAS LUCKY TO GET INTO AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM AT THE PERTH AMBOY GENERAL HOSPITAL IN NEW JERSEY IN 1978 AND LATER AN OPHTHALMOLOGY RESIDENCY AT THE SCHEIE EYE INSTITUTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA FROM 1979 TO 1982 WITH THE HELP OF DR. MANNY SISON. AFTER MY RESIDENCY WE MOVED TO MITCHELL, SOUTH DAKOTA WHERE I DID 25 YEARS OF PRIVATE PRACTICE IN GENERAL OPHTHALMOLOGY. I HAD A SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE AND IT WAS DURING THIS TIME THAT DECIDED TO GO BACK TO THE PHILIPPINES TO CONTINUE MY EYE MEDICAL MISSION THAT STARTED WHEN I WAS A RESIDENT PHYSICIAN IN THE PHILIPPINES, HOPEFULLY TO GIVE MY SHARE OF HELP TO OUR COUNTRY. I MET DR. GIL DE VENECIA IN ONE OF THE ACADEMY MEETINGS IN THE EARLY 80'S WHO ENCOURAGE ME TO JOIN HIM IN MANGATAREM WHERE HE DOES HIS YEARLY MISSION. BECAUSE IT WAS MY HOMETOWN I DECIDED TO JOIN HIM AND WITH THAT EXPERIENCE IT WAS A YEARLY EYE MEDICAL MISSION FROM THEN ON. IN THE MID 90'S I MET DR. MANNY MARIANO, AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST FROM NORTH DAKOTA AND ALSO ENCOURAGE ME TO JOIN HIM AFTER DR. DE VENECIA LEFT MANGATAREM. WE WENT TO DIFFERENT PLACE IN SOUTHERN LUZON LIKE THE BICOL REGION, RIZAL AND BATANGAS WITH UST RESIDENTS. DR. MARIANO IS VERY DEDICATED TO MISSION WORK AND LEARNED SO MANY THINGS FROM HIM MOSTLY SERVICE TO THE POOR AND THE NEEDY AND COURTESY TO EVERYONE. I JOINED HIM UNTIL HE PASSED AWAY ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO. AFTER DR. MARIANO'S DEATH I CONTINUED MY OWN EYE MEDICAL MISSION AND CONCENTRATED MOSTLY IN THE PROVINCE OF PANGASINAN. THIS TIME MY PARTNERS IN THE EYE MISSION WORK ARE MY HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATES - MNHS CLASS 59 AND SO FAR EVERYTHING IS GOING ALONG VERY WELL. I ALSO MET A HARD WORKING OPHTHALMOLOGIST AND VERY DEDICATED TO MEDICAL MISSION WORK, DR. MONINA POSADAS. WE NOW WORK TOGETHER AND DEDICATE OUR SERVICES TO THE POOR AND THE NEEDY.