The PGH Medical Foundation recently sponsored a symposium on giving back with noted columnist Winnie Monsod as guest speaker. Here is how we Class 1962 (106 graduates, 87 alive) have measured up to this challenge.

Gawad Kalinga village. In the heart of Quezon City, on Banlat Road just off Tandang Sora Avenue, stands the UP Medicine Class 1962 Gawad Kalinga Village of 25 homes, funded entirely by class members, our gift to our beloved country on our Golden Anniversary celebration this year.

It is a historical site where revolutionary heroine Melchora Aquino lived and gave aid to the fighters of the Katipunan. Her bust, with a marker from the National Historical Institute, is situated beside the entrance to the village.

Along Banlat Road, a scant 50 meters away from the village, former Mayor Sonny Belmonte also built a new park in her honor, a fitting tribute to a gallant lady whose heroism is undergoing a renaissance.

On her 200th birth anniversary on Jan. 6, President Aquino led the nation in honoring her and transferring her remains to this new Tandang Sora Shrine.

Inspired by our example, another UP Medicine organization is building a similar village of 25 homes at the same site, the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity-GK Village, to which Class 62 Phi members have also been contributing.

Student lounge. During our 45th Sapphire Anniversary, when the UP Medical Alumni Society (UPMAS) honored Class 1962 as the 2007 UPMAS Class of the Year, we donated a one-story Student Lounge within the UP College of Medicine (UPCM) grounds beside the Medical Library.

On Alumni Homecoming 2007, UPMAS inaugurated and blessed the two-story Alvior Faculty Hall, donated by Class 1962 member Gregorio Alvior Jr.

Hospital renovations. The expensive renovation of the PGH lobby was undertaken by UP Medicine Class 1962 in 2002 during our ruby anniversary.

On our first public celebration, our silver anniversary in 1987, we had two class projects for UP-PGH: Renovation of Guazon Hall (ground-floor lecture hall); Maria Paz Mendoza Philippine Medical Museum (second and third floors of the same Guazon Building) which has been turned over to and accepted by the PGH Resident’s Association. Additionally, we also repaired and restored the damaged copper roof of this building.

Community service. No class deserves recognition unless its members have cared for their fellowmen, since this is the essence of being a physician. Almost all, including those abroad, have served our poor communities and indigents here, but some had more exposure.

Classmates in the provinces deserve special mention. They have toiled daily to bring solace to the less fortunate. Belmonte (Tarlac), Fajardo (Cebu), R.Garcia (Tagum), Ilano(+) (Bacoor), KT Lim (+) (Jolo), Paguio (Iligan), Palermo (Baybay, Leyte), Villaflor (Dagupan), we salute you.

Since his appointment as Health  Secretary, Dr. Ike Ona  has used his resources and energy to attain universal health care for the poor.

Class ’62 adopted Bukidnon for an annual medical mission for 5 years (2005-2009), providing air transportation, medicines, equipment, manpower. The first breech delivery was named Sixto.

Civic clubs continuously strive to alleviate the sufferings of the poor, the sick, the elderly, the youth and little children, and to improve communities. Classmates have been leaders of these clubs.

Rotary Club presidents and district governors now include:

a) Alano—president, RC San Juan North; became Governor, ri (Rotary Int’l) District 3800

b) Belmonte—president, RC Tarlac; also director, United Way & PNRC, Tarlac

c) Picazo—president, RC Bagumbayan-Manila; District Conference chair, D-3810, 1996 & 2001

d) Ravano—president, RC Monroeville, PA, US; became Governor, RI District 7300, PA, US; Through his club and district, he shipped fire trucks, equipment, supplies, medicines to our provinces.

e) Villaflor—president, RC Dagupan; Chairman of Rotary Presidents, D-379

f) R. Garcia—president, Tagum Lions Club; also Outreach Head, Tagum, Davao

g) KT Lim (+)—president, Jolo Jaycees; became National VP, Phil Jaycees

h) Verallo—president, Zonta Club of Makati

A special type of service is Alvior’s mission as president of the PGH Medical Foundation, which he literally raised from nothing with infrastructure projects, donations, fund-raising. He has donated the P10M Alvior Faculty Hall. He is the 2007 UPMAS Outstanding Service Awardee.

Mangilit sacrificed 26 years of her life in service to an impoverished East LA community as physician of Focolare. Now she runs a Focolare free clinic in Tagaytay, with classmate Sarcia.

Ng, without fanfare, has visited the country 23 times, organizing, conducting, contributing to or joining 68 medical missions as of 2007. He has been back many more times since then.

Villaflor has over  20 major civic, charitable and health activities, mostly in Pangasinan.

Individual benefactors to UP, UPCM and PGH include:

a) Sison—Scholarship fund to UPCM through dean Herrera and President S.P. Lopez.

b) Soriano—Professorial Chairs to the Colleges of Music, Pharmacy, Medicine; Scholarship to Music through Presidents Nemenzo & Roman.

c) Thelma/Oscar Tumacder—professorial chair to UP through president Angara.

Classmates in the UPCM donation lists:

a) UP Centennial Endowment Fund: gold—Alano; silver—Ela Lim; bronze—Ona

b) Upmasa (Upmas in America) Permanent Endowment Fun: Class Circle—Gonzalez, Ng; Member Circle—Laurea, Coligado, Soriano (as above), Tumacder (as above)

c) UPCM Dean’s International Circle: Legacy (highest category)—UP Medicine Class 1962; and Alvior

In our golden years, many in retirement, we continue to strive to give back to alma mater and country.

The author is the chair of Class 1962