UP Medics App Issue 2017

SPECIAL ISSUE
Jan-Feb 2017, AY 2016-2017
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
(c) Eurielle Gregorio, Class 2021
After two days of fierce competition among 16
medical schools from all over NCR, the University
of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM)
finished fifth overall in Palarong Medisina 2017:
All In!, after summing up wins in over 17 different
sporting events. The annual event was held
at the De La Salle Health Sciences Institute,
Dasmariñas, Cavite last February 18-19, 2017.
The Men’s Doubles Team for Lawn Tennis won
Championship versus the twice-to-beat Our
Lady of Fatima University with the final score
of 6-4, 6-0 in the second game. Kevin Sese
and Zeid Tungupon (Class 2020) comprised
the team that played to the Finals in six straight
sets during the second day of the competition,
including both Quarter and Semifinals. Jarri
Alihan (Class 2021) and Team Captain
Geoffrey Manzon (Class 2017) played in the
earlier qualifying matches during the first day.
For Women’s Doubles, the team lead by Mel
Orteza (Class 2017) with Jem Golbin (Class
2020), Innah Tolentino (Class 2020) and Ella
Villacorta (Class 2020) advanced to the Finals
with Golbin and Tolentino at the helm. They lost,
however, to the De La Salle Health Sciences
Institute College of Medicine (DLSHSI) and
placed 1st runner-up overall. Also placing 1st
runner-up was the UPCM Ultimate Frisbee
Team, headed by Team Captains Rey Joson
and Martin Ilustre (Class 2018), who put up
a close fight against the twice-to-beat Ateneo
School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH)
with a final score of 9-6 in favor of ASMPH.
The UPCM Swim Team placed 2nd for Men’s
Category and 3rd for the Women’s Category,
making the whole team third overall with a
combined score of 113 from the 16 swimming
events the team participated in. The team of
Palarong
UPCM bags Men's
Med
Tennis
Championship, places 5 th
overall in Palarong Med 2017
by Nefren Lobitana (Class 2020)
(c) Mandy Esquivel, Class 2019
(c) Bana Bascuña, Class 2020 (c) Benjo Kho, Class 2020
Ryan Jacob Santiago (Class 2023), Sean Austin
Sy (Class 2023), Jasper Seth Yao (Class 2019),
and Mark Joshua Teo (Class 2023) scored 1st
place in the Boys 200 LC Meter Medley Relay
with a time of 2 minutes 12 seconds. On top of
that, Sy won 1st place for 50 m Breast Stroke
and 3rd place for 200 m Free Style; Santiago
placed 1st in 50 m Back Stroke and 3rd place
for 100 m Free Style. On the other hand, Anne
Theresa Dantes (Class 2018), Maria Regina
Valera (Class 2019), Gelina Rose Bambalan
(Class 2019), and Nicole Marella Tan (Class
2018) placed 3rd in Girls 200 LC Meter Medley
Relay with a time of 2 minutes 54 seconds.
Reaching to the semifinals were the teams
of Women’s Football and Badminton (Men’s,
Women’s and Mixed). The Women’s football
team included Marion de Luna (Class 2019),
Ajina Carampel (Class 2021), Bettina Pascual
(Class 2019), Micah Masbad (Class 2017),
Bea Constantino (Class 2020), Trisha Riego
de Dios (Class 2020), and Alexis Dinopol
(Class 2020), headed by Tutti Tanchuling (Class
2017) and Audri Bello (Class 2017). On the
badminton team, UPCM had Terezia Pineda
(Class 2021), Jarvey de Guzman (Class 2020),
Pat Valdez (Class 2019), Harjoland Obenieta
(Class 2018), Liana Lobo (Class 2019), Juvan
Bulang (Class 2017), Joyce Tiam-Lee (Class
2020), Nash Silava (Class 2018), Pico Garcia
(Class 2019), and Mish dela Cruz (Class 2017).
Palarong Medisina is an annual sports event
hosted by the Association of Philippine
Medical Colleges (APMC) that draws in
medical student-athletes from all over the
National Capital Region. It aims to foster
friendly competition and camaraderie
among medical students through sports.
UPCM hailed National CPC
Champion,
APMC
bags 2 nd in Research
Competition, in 50 th APMC
Annual Convention
by CJ Balicanta, Nefren Lobitana (Class 2020)
Student Leaders unite in
social media guidelines
workshop
by Mark Teo (Class 2023)
Once more, the University of the Philippines College
of Medicine exemplified excellence by bagging both
the Championship for Siyasat: National Clinico-
Pathologic Case Competition and 2nd place for
Saliksik: National Medical Students Research
Competition - Basic Sciences Category at the 50th
Annual Convention of the Association of Philippine
Medical Colleges held last February 1 to 3, 2017.
Hoisting the college banner for Siyasat last February
1 at The Medical City, Ortigas was the team of Fifth
Anino (Class 2019), Michael Casipe (Class 2019),
and Fatima Sucaldito (Class 2018), led by the team
presenter Joseph Paguio (Class 2019). The team
faced fierce competition against the regional CPC
champions Lyceum North-Western University,
West Visayas State University and Mindanao State
University. Each team formulated their interpretations
with varying approaches to the diagnosis on the patient’s
demise, based from limited history and findings.
UPCM clinched a near-perfect working diagnosis on
the actual anatomic report of the patient autopsy with
‘MOF secondary to hypovolemic shock secondary
to DIC from Klebsiella pneumoniae secondary
to septic abortion’. The final anatomic diagnosis
was ‘Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy
secondary to Septicemia secondary to septic
abortion’. The judges commended the team’s
excellent reporting and content, which earned them
a unanimous first place ranking in the tabulations.
Paguio, in a personal Facebook post following the
awarding, commends their team’s mentors Dr. Alonso,
Dr. Reyes, Dr. Dimacali, Dr. Quiran, and Dr. Fajardo from
UP-Philippine General Hospital. He also cites clinical
exposure being key to their conclusive diagnosis:
“At first, it sounded like the rarest disease, something
we’ve never heard of or something we probably
missed in the thousands of pages we’ve read in
medical school. Then we remembered that this was
a familiar story in the [PGH OB Admitting Section].
We took the risk, relied on our ‘common sense’, and
this case turned out to be that of a septic abortion.”
Siyasat: Clinico-Pathologic Case Competition was
the opening competition in the 50th Association of
Philippine Medical Colleges Annual Convention, hosted
by the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health.
On the other hand, a research paper by the IDC
211 LU3 group of Markyn Kho, Ralph Hernandez,
Jonathan Paul Ladera, Darren Khow, Justine April
Jacinto, and Valerie Abby Lagura (Class 2020),
and their adviser, Dr. Paul Medina (Department of
Biotechnology and Molecular Biology) won second
place in Saliksik: APMC National Medical Students
Research Competition - Basic Sciences Category
held last February 2 at the Novotel Hotel, Quezon City.
Their study, entitled ‘In vitro assessment of the prebiotic
potential of Caulerpa lentillifera, Gracilaria arcuata,
and Sargassum polycystum on probiotic Lactobacillus
species’ was among the top 5 pre-screened papers
that qualified for oral presentations in the nationwide
search open to research papers by medical students.
The oral presentation and defense was delivered by
Markyn Kho, who previously led the group to a top 3
finish in the oral presentations of the NCR Medical
Students Research Competition last November 2016.
The research aimed to investigate the prebiotic
effect of local macroalgae containing inulin-like
polysaccharides on Lactobacillus species, which was
also demonstrated to be efficacious and its prebiotic
effects comparable to commercial prebiotic inulin.
“At first, I was very reluctant to submit our study
because although our results were good, I didn’t think
it measured up to the more advanced researches
of the other students,” says Kho. “I felt very grateful
and honored to have represented UPCM in such a
prestigious national research competition. Overall,
this was a very wonderful learning experience
that is to go through the entire cycle of research.”
The Association of Philippine Medical Colleges
Foundation Inc (AMPCI) is the non-stock, nonprofit
umbrella organization of all medical schools
in the country. The APMC-Student Network is the
student-governed arm of the organization. It is
composed of all medical students in the Philippines,
represented by their respective school student
councils. It is led by its National Executive Board,
with Ian Kim Tabios from UPCM Class 2018 as
National President for academic year 2016-2017.
On Friday, February 3, 2017, members of
the Medicine Student Council (MSC) and
representatives from the different Learning Units
of the UP College of Medicine (UPCM) convened
at Paz Mendoza Room 104 for the Social Media
Guidelines Workshop in order to discuss a rather
controversial topic: the Social Media Guidelines.
The Social Media Guidelines, the first of
its kind among all medicine schools in the
Philippines, was designed to regulate the social
media activity of those affiliated with UPCM
and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
Key points include the sections pertaining to
patient privacy and commenting negatively on
UPCM and PGH issues. The guidelines, which
have been undergoing heated discussion, is
fervently being pushed by the administration
to be passed as policy, due to several past
occurrences where some say that social
media was used inappropriately. Gathering
data from their fellow students, the MSC
and the representatives discussed future
actions towards the social media guidelines.
In the workshop, it was brought up that the
administrators informed the MSC that the
students have until February 15 to create a
students’ version of the guidelines to be taken
into consideration before policy implementation.
It was also noted that the introduction of the
social media guidelines draft was vaguely
worded. Problems with the wording in the
guidelines were also noted, such as usage of the
(c) Benjo Kho, Class 2020
word “never”. Based on student input, while most
students had no complaints regarding the stricter
guidelines ensuring patient privacy, several had
issues with the rules stating one should never
comment on issues regarding the college and
PGH. While avenues to express frustrations
and opinions exist within the college and PGH,
the students expressed sentiments that these
were ineffective, which is why many resort to
posting on social media. The issue of the lack of
an effective electronic medical records system
(eMRS) was also brought up by the interns in the
workshop, as the recent Data Privacy Act barred
them from taking pictures of patient charts.
The Social Media Guidelines were also criticized
to be more incriminating than empowering.
Instead of stating what a student should not do, a
representative stated that the creation of a system
that regulates professionalism in social media
should begin with the creation of a preamble that
states the rights of responsibilities of a UPCM
student regarding the usage of social media.
The leaders decided upon the course of action to
be taken by the student body. The creation for a
rights-based guidelines was called for that would
be pro-student. The representatives concluded
that a counterproposal to the current social media
guidelines needed to be created by the students
and for the students, and a drafting committee will
soon be assembled in order to make this possible.

The Regionalization Students Organization
(RSO) held its annual RSO Week last February
20 to February 24, 2017. The events, themed
this year as “Tsada: Mga Nagkakaisang Kultura”
(borrowing the Cagayanon term for “beautiful”),
were spearheaded by Raissa Guldam, Israel
Gotico, and Franz Libre of Class 2021. The
week-long celebration consisted of staple
activities serving to unite the organization’s
members as well as the UP College of
Medicine community through festivities of
Filipino food, sports, music, and culture.
The week kicked off on February 20 with an
opening ceremony and boodle fight at Calderon
Hall, headed by Sushmita Tare and hosted by
Omid Siahmard of Class 2021. Also announced
in this event were the winners of the cake raffle
the organization held prior to promote the event.
The quiz show Tagisan ng Talino was held in
CAMP 301-303 on February 21. Emcees Erika
Sia and Carlo Vistro and quizmaster Lordom
Grecia of Class 2021 led the 21 teams that
competed in answering multiple-choice and
identification questions about “anything under the
Philippine sun”. First place were Sushmita Tare
and Roy Acos of Team-pla, and second were
Marywin Carabbacan, Dana Marcellana, and
Vince Maullon of Team MaMaMary. Certificates
and cash prizes were awarded to the winners.
NEWS
Week
TSADA!: RSO Holds Annual Week
of Unifying Cultures
by Lorena Osorio (Class 2021)
(c) Safrollah Guinal, Class 2021
Laro ng Lahi commenced at Tipunan on February
22. Rigo Villacorta of Class 2021 hosted the
games, which included patintero, sipa, and
kadang-kadang, among others. Winning
teams were awarded with provincial delicacies.
Harana sa Wards was held on February 23 in
Wards 4 (Surgery) and 11 (Pediatrics) of the
Philippine General Hospital. Led by Carlo Vistro,
the organization members sang “Hawak Kamay”
and “Let It Go” to the pediatrics patients, as
well as “Kahit Maputi Na ang Buhok Ko”, “Tuloy
Pa Rin”, and “Harana” to the surgery patients.
The week culminated with Talents Night, held
on February 24 in CAMP AVR and hosted by
Paulo Orosco and Safrollah Guinal of Class
2021. Applicant members demonstrated their
talents with song and dance numbers, while
the RSO Band also performed for the event.
“[For one whole week], we were able to experience
eating barehanded as our countrymen do in the
provinces, learn new things about our country,
play childhood games and other traditional
Filipino games, give back to our patients in
PGH, and showcase our unity as a batch who
come from different cultural backgrounds,” says
Franz Libre of Class 2021, one of the heads of
the celebration. “I believe it’s our unity as RSO,
despite being from different year levels and
provinces, that made RSO Week successful.”
On January 26 and 27, the UP Meridian welcomed
the Year of the Fire Rooster with elegance and
prosperous hopes. On January 26, the hallways
and wards of the Philippine General Hospital
(PGH) were filled with happiness and fortune as
both the organization and passersby participated
in the Lion Dance courtesy of the Xavier School
Lion Dance Team. Several departments of
PGH, namely Emergency Medicine, Internal
Medicine, Otorhinolaryngology, Orthopedics,
Hospital Dentistry, Rehabilitation, Psychiatry,
Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Radiology, and Health Service contributed
to the successful event. Warm support from
neighboring colleges like the College of Public
Health also graced the day’s celebration.
Kung Hei Fat Choi!: UP Meridian
Celebrates Chinese New Year
by Kim Ivan Mendoza (Class 2020)
college, and members of UP Meridian. The
gathering was full of festive cheer and the spirit
of orientality regardless of race and skin color.
UP Meridian is thankful to everyone who
made the event possible. As Ena Nicole
Wong, the head of the celebration, puts it,
“Thank you to everyone who helped and made
our celebration a success. May your New
Year be blessed and be full of prosperity!”
The festivities culminated in a grand pakain
on January 27 at the UP PGH Science Hall.
Classic Chinese delicacies like tikoy, pancit,
fortune cookies, hopia, siomai, and shanghai
rolls were shared by students from all the
batches, staff, and employees of PGH and the
On December 11, 2016, water leakage of already
unstable ground soil caused the foundation at the
excavation site of the proposed UP College of
Medicine Academic Center to weaken and sink.
Since December 12, 2016, areas nearby the site
have been off-limits to vehicles and pedestrians
alike due to a 12-meter danger zone declared
by the Campus Planning Development and
Maintenance Office (CPDMO). This made
traversing from the Padre Faura to Pedro Gil side
of the campus, as well as through the Philippine
General Hospital (PGH) toiling due to longer
routes that all pedestrians must take. With this
concern and the influx of students come the start
of the second semester, the UP and UP College
of Medicine (UPCM) Administration decided
to open a shortcut through the UPCM Tennis
Court. This alternative route passes through
the now open walkway between Salcedo and
Calderon Halls, and passes parallel to the the
UPCM Tennis Court to emerge in front of PGH
Court. The walkway beside the tennis court was
recently raised and cemented. It was opened last
January 17, 2017, to the relief of many students,
interns, residents, and consultants who no longer
have to take the circuitous route passing Taft to
get from one side of the campus to the other.
Acad Center
UP College of medicine
Academic center updates
by Nadine Uy (Class 2020),
Mandy Esquivel (Class 2019)
(c) Markyn Jared Kho, Class 2020
since its current location “cannot be used in
the foreseeable future due to safety concerns”.
This was according to the meeting with Vice
Chancellor for Planning & Development Michael
Tee held on the morning of January 30. The
UPM administration have been considering both
the Paz Mendoza Building and the Museum
of a History of Ideas as the replacement site
for the building. This concerns many UPCM
students, who are already without so many
of the buildings that used to comprise their
campus, and view Paz Mendoza as one of the
last places where they may hold classes, study,
and perform various extra-curricular activities.
Adding to that, Calderon Hall is still only open
for office use (such as for the Dean and her
Management Team, the Students’ Records
Office, and the Department of Pathology) and
the dissections of the Learning Unit 3. The LU3
and LU4 students of the UPCM, previously
staying in the second and third floors of the
building, have been relocated to avoid further
foot traffic which might damage the foundation,
as the building is precariously near what
students jokingly call “the sinkhole”. Various
locations where they have been moved to are
the PGH Science Hall, the ER Complex Rooms,
and the Auditorium of the College of Nursing.
Another pressing concern due to the declaration
of the 12-meter danger zone is the limited
student space on campus. The tambayans of
the Mu Sigma Phi Fraternity and Mu Sigma
Phi Sorority, called “Mu Hut”, the UP Medical
Students’ Society, called “Tambayan”, and the
Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity and Phi Lambda Delta
Sorority, called “Pagkalma”, are prohibited areas,
and cannot be used due to obvious safety
concerns. Similarly inaccessible are the UPCM
Student Lounge, UPCM Library, Bobby de la
Paz Hall (which includes the Med Cafe on the
first floor, and the Medical Students’ Union on the
(c) Mandy Esquivel, Class 2019
second), and the University Library. To address
this, the UP Medicine Student Council (MSC) just
recently announced on February 3, 2017 that the
Paz Mendoza rooms, through the generosity of
the administration, are now open for student use.
Organizations, fraternities, sororities, and classes
can make their reservations through the council.
Connected to one of the affected areas of
the excavation site, the previously mentioned
University Library, “the UP Administration
is required to commit the funds for the new
University Library before the end of 2017”
New cemented walkway from
PGH going to Pedro Gil,
parallel to the UPCM Tennis Court.

NEWS
Big Phi
One Big PHI Mixtape:
Indie Uncovered
by Arobe Shiek Goling II (Class 2019)
For obvious reasons, Original Pinoy Music or
OPM bands have always been close to the
hearts of Filipinos. From the greatest hits of
legends like Eraserheads, Parokya ni Edgar,
and the late Francis Magalona, we have seen
across time how different bands emerged to
serenade both music lovers and enthusiasts
with songs that never failed to soothe the soul.
While recent years have been tough for the OPM
industry due to competition brought by foreign
acts and massive piracy, we have witnessed
how Filipino musicians continue to struggle, and
prosper. In doing so, they allow their audiences
to hear their take on the wonderful thing called
music, which is universal and has the capacity to
encapsulate the sentiments and values of people
of different walks of life, from all over the country.
Last February 20, 2017, several local artists and
bands from the UP Manila community played
and sang to the guests of this year’s One Big
PHI. Organized by the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity
and Phi Lambda Delta Sorority as a means to
celebrate the OPM music, the event was held
at Chill Bar on Bocobo Street in Ermita, Manila.
Indie bands SUD, Oh Flamingo!, and Jensen and
the Flips took center stage along with various acts
from the college and university, including PHI
Band, Running Ink, RSO Band, and 2021 Band.
Defending champions UP MedRhythmics,
the UP College of Medicine’s premier
dance troupe, participated in this year’s
MedGroove MedRhythmia, at the Aliw
Theater last Saturday, January 14, 2017.
Themed “Mulat”, this year’s MGMR focused on
songs that talked about national issues, tackling
problems like women’s rights, police brutality, and
the current war on drugs. The UP MedRhythmics’s
performance was centered on issues regarding
the country’s senior citizens. It was an emotional
performance, encapsulating the struggles of
being 60 years old and above in the Philippines.
According to the production team, which also
included many of the performers themselves,
in spite of the limited manpower, time, and
resources, the team managed to create all the
props and backdrops in the span of four days.
That in itself, in their eyes, was a success.
The performers even went beyond their dance to
convey the message of their presentation. “Our
performance wanted to portray the challenges and
When asked why “Mixtape” served as the theme
of this year’s One Big PHI, Project Head Arthur
Gregory Verata (Class 2020) answered, “The
theme was chosen to highlight the growing indie
scene in the Philippine music industry today….
If old-school OPM was the soundtrack of our
elementary and high school days, I believe [that]
Indie speaks most to us in our young adulthood.
It’s raw and honest. Its energy and passion are
one of [music’s] truest forms – artists who want to
touch [the] souls of the people through their music.”
It is said that music is a way to escape the reality
of life, but Verata has a different take on it. “I think
of music as an escape, but not necessarily from
life,” he says. “Music, in essence, is life. There’s
no part of our world that has no place for music.
Losing ourselves in music isn’t really escaping
life but finding a way to ground one’s self in one
of the most beautiful things life has to offer.”
Oh Flamingo!, an alternative rock band, played
“Inconsistencies”, “June”, and “Two Feet”.
Jensen and the Flips (short for Freaky Little
Island People), named after their lead vocalist
Jensen Gomez, played “Slow” and “Borrowed”.
SUD, last to perform among the three, played
their hits “Sila” and “Profanities”, among others.
EKG
Mu Sigma Phi Sorority
Holds Annual Excellence,
Knowledge, Genius Quiz Show
by Lorena Osorio (Class 2021)
The Mu Sigma Phi Sorority held this year’s
Excellence, Knowledge, Genius (EKG) Quiz
Show last February 17, 2017 at the Museum of
a History of Ideas. Meleeze Ongtauco and Trisha
Thadhani of Class 2021 hosted the contest.
The following colleges and universities joined the
quiz show: Ateneo de Manila University, University
of the Philippines Manila, Pamantasan ng
Lungsod ng Maynila, University of the Philippines
Diliman, De La Salle University, University of Santo
Tomas, Emilio Aguinaldo College, Philippine
Women’s University, Manila Central University,
Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Seventeen teams of three, for a total of fifty-one
participants, competed in the elimination round,
with categories from the sciences (biology,
chemistry, physics, and mathematics), social
sciences (psychology, history, sociology), and
trivia (entertainment, sports, arts, humanities,
current events). After rounds of answering
identification and multiple-choice questions
of increasing difficulty, the top five teams
competed in the final Jeopardy-style round.
An intermission number was performed by the UP
up medrhythmics
competes in MGMR 2017
by Leander Quilang (Class 2020)
(c) Markyn Jared Kho, Class 2020
MedChoir before the announcement of winners.
First place were BS Biology students from
the Ateneo de Manila University, second
were 2023 Intarmed students from the
University of the Philippines Manila, and third
were BS Physical Therapy students from
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. The
winners were awarded medals and cash prizes.
The Excellence, Knowledge, Genius Quiz
Show is an annual inter-university pre-medical
quiz show by the Mu Sigma Phi Sorority held
during the organization’s Scholarship Month.
(c) Mu Sigma Phi Sorority
anxieties experienced by senior citizens. With the
better days gone, they’re now facing a new difficult
phase of life. I hope the audience, the judges,
and all who viewed our piece felt its intensity and
show more appreciation and concern to senior
citizens.” said Reina Juno Sumatra, an LU3
student and member of the UP MedRhythmics.
In the end, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng
Maynila was crowned the champion for this
year’s MedGroove. Saint Luke’s College of
Medicine and Ateneo School of Medicine and
Public Health went home with first runnerup
and second runner-up, respectively.
Also, this year’s MedRhythmia had University
of the East - Ramon Magsaysay Memorial
Medical Center taking 3rd place, San Beda
College of Medicine taking 2nd place, and St.
Luke’s College of Medicine taking home the
championship trophy for the second year in a
row. The UP Medicine Choir, a participant and
champion of previous MedRhythmias, decided
this year not to participate in the said competition.
features
One of our professors once said, “The PGH
ER is the collective smell of the Filipino nation.”
This is something I can indeed vouch for
after my experience volunteering at the PGH
Emergency Room. But looking back, I think he
meant more than just the literal smell of blood,
sweat, and tears that plagues the PGH ER.
Majority of my duty hours were spent at the
triage, the first place patients go to so that they
can be assessed by a doctor and then assigned
to a specific department where they will be
further examined. I would help take vital signs,
get the chief complaint, and elicit the history of
the patient. Once in a while, I would be asked
to do basic procedures like insert IV lines and
extract blood under the supervision of a senior.
I chose this duty option because patient
interaction is my one of my favorite parts about
being a doctor, and I personally enjoy talking
to patients and hearing their stories. Not to
mention all the action that happens when
you’re at the frontlines, which is exactly what
the triage is. All kinds of people, from nuns to
detainees, come in with chief complaints from
a stomach ache to loss of consciousness.
With these experiences, you really learn how
to think clearly and stay calm under pressure.
But that’s not all you learn – because in the
PGH ER, you see a reflection of the Philippine
health care system, a system that is insufficient,
inaccessible, and definitely unacceptable.
You’d think that wheelchairs and stretchers
would be a readily available basic commodity at
This Is What Our Healthcare System
Smells Like: My Experience As a
Volunteer at the PGH Emergency Room
by Anonymous
any hospital. Unfortunately, I, together with many
other people working at the PGH ER, have told
patients too many times, “Pasensiya po, wala
po kasing available na wheelchair o stretcher
dito. Magikot-ikot nalang po kayo hanggang
may makita po kayong bakante.” Sometimes,
unconscious patients are brought in being carried
by their family members, but because there is
nowhere for them to lie down, doctors end up
performing CPR with the patient lying down on
the plastic bench we use for patient interviews.
But it’s not just the wheelchairs and stretchers
that we lack. At the PGH ER, there aren’t
enough medicines, supplies, and equipment
to treat everyone who comes in. I remember a
patient who had difficulty breathing and needed
to be hooked to an oxygen tank, but because
all the available equipment was being used,
we had to wait until someone passed away
before this new patient was given oxygen.
The patients who come to the PGH ER come
from the lowest of economic classes, and many
travel for long hours from the provinces seeking
healthcare in Manila. Often the patients come
in when their diseases are already at their most
drastic stages, and when asked why they are only
seeking consult now, you hear their stories, stories
of not having accessible hospitals and health
centers in their areas, stories of not being able to
afford a complete a course of treatment (or any
treatment, for that matter), and stories of being
rejected at hospitals because they could not pay.
It’s sad, yes, and it is also terribly frustrating. Time
and time again we are taught in school that health
is a fundamental human right, and that it’s the
government’s responsibility to ensure the highest
possible level of health for all. If this is what it’s
like at PGH, a tertiary hospital in Manila under
the Office of the President, can you imagine what
it’s like in provincial health centers where health
workers, facilities, and medicines are scarce?
Can you imagine what it’s like in far-flung areas,
where people need to cross several rivers and
climb mountains to get to a health center, only
to find that the doctor is not there? No wonder
6 out of 10 Filipinos die without seeing a doctor.
My experience only gave me a whiff of our
healthcare system. I have much to learn, much to
study, much to become aware of and be exposed
to. Maybe my notions about our healthcare system
are biased. Maybe there are other sides to the
story, but from a PGH ER volunteer’s perspective,
this is what our healthcare system smells like.
Nonetheless, if there’s something I do know, it’s
that amidst the smell, there is hope. I see it in the
doctors who work shifts in days instead of hours,
in the nurses who comfort patients and pray with
families when a loved one passes away, in my
co-volunteers who are ready to sacrifice their
time to work in the hospital without expecting
anything in return. I see it in the security guards,
janitors, and other personnel who assist patients
around the hospital. I see it in the patients who
are willing to share their beds, in the bantays who
assist and help watch over other patients they
aren’t even related to. There is hope, and though
it may be faint, it is a hope glimmers amidst the
smell of blood, sweat, and tears at the PGH ER.
So here’s to the supposed change that is coming. I
hope it is a change that comes sooner rather than
later, a change that caters to the health needs
of our patients, a change that is system-wide,
long-term, and sustainable. For the meantime,
the PGH ER will operate day in and day out –
amidst the smell, amidst the heat – to save lives,
to cure the sick, and to serve the Filipino people.

PALARONG MED
MEDGROOVE MEDRHYTHMIA
MED FOR EACH OTHER
2017 so far:
in photos
EXCELLENCE, KNOWLEDGE, GENIUS
ONE BIG PHI
CHINESE NEW YEAR
RSO WEEK
APMC CONVENTION
Photo credits: Palarong Med (c) Bana Bascuña, CJ Balicanta, Alyssa Pejana, Mandy Esquivel, Phi Kappa Mu; MedGroove MedRhythmia (c) Markyn Jared Kho; Med for Each Other (c) Markyn Jared Kho; Excellence, Knowledge,
Genius (c) Mu Sigma Phi Sorority; One Big Phi (c) Phi Kappa Mu, Phi Lambda Delta; RSO Week (c) Eurielle Gregorio, Safrollah Guinal; Chinese New Year (c) Markyn Jared Kho; APMC Convention (c) CJ Balicanta

features
MFEO
The Making of MFEO
by Nadine Uy (Class 2020)
Small gestures
by Lorena Osorio (Class 2021)
It’s February and we all know what that means.
Fancy restos, romantic movies, roses and
chocolates -- these are what folks do to get the
mood going, to capture that fleeting figment
of emotion we call love. But there is nothing
more endearing (I suppose) than professing
what you truly feel to the person you love.
What more if you put your words in a song?
We Filipinos are known for our penchant for
music. No wonder why concerts here and
there sprout like mushrooms when the V-day
season sets in. And even though they are
kind of pricey, we go to them anyway just
because nothing beats music in conveying
the language of the soul. But imagine if there
is such a thing as a free Valentine’s concert?
It is definitely thrilling!
As much as it is fun to watch a free concert,
the preparation for one -- as we have in UP
MedChoir’s recent Med For Each Other --
can be an adventure as well. There were 3
Ps in our checklist in preparation for it: the
Playlist, the Practices, and the Performance.
First, the Playlist was the concert repertoire to be
performed. Forming the Playlist, the task of the
choirmaster, was no easy task. Since this was a
free-for-all event in a hospital setting, the concert
must employ a variety of songs. To cater to old
souls, there were the timeless love songs lifted
from classic movies and musicals: “Moonriver”
from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, “Someone Like You”
from Jekyll and Hyde, and “The Nearness of
You” from Romance in the Dark. For the young
and hip, there were also Beyoncé’s “Smash
Into You”, Jason Mraz’ “I’m Yours”, and Ed
Sheeran’s “Photograph”. Fun and light-hearted
songs included the German novelty hit “Looking
in Your Eyes”, the sensational commercial
90’s song “Ang Gaan Gaan ng Feeling”, and
the pick-up line-studded “Mahal Kita Kasi”.
The Playlist also presented the generationtranscending
OPM “Ikaw” trilogy: “Ikaw Ang
Lahat sa Akin”, “Ikaw Lamang”, and “Ikaw”. With
all these handpicked songs, the mood was set.
Second were the Practices, a.k.a. all the nitty
gritty stuff the choristers do. Notes, pitch,
dynamics, and a whole gamut of legato, subito,
staccato, and other Italian terms were mashed
up to bring out the best harmonies possible.
Regular medicine students turned to choristers
almost every night for practically a month,
all for the love of music. Despite their tight
schedules, they found ways to squeeze in time
for learning the songs, measure by measure.
Lastly, the Performance. It was quite a first for
the choir to have a concert in an open space
as the Philippine General Hospital Atrium,
although it was strategic and accessible.
The acoustics, the balance of the voices, the
overall quality of the sound -- everything must
be in check. On top of schoolwork and the
crunch of practicing, the trainees and members
prepared the backdrop and the program flow.
With all this set, Med For Each Other went
to roll. The concept of the concert all
started with a casual idea of spreading love
unconditionally through a free event. But the
making of MFEO ended up as a manifestation
of that feeling itself too -- a labor of love.
Best Friends
Your "old friends" are your
The hygiene hypothesis links the inflammatory
pathologies of asthma, autoimmunity, and
allergies back to the lack of exposure to
environmental sources of “dirt” that appear to
influence – or train, if you will -- the immune system
during its development. The microorganisms and
microbes that we encounter in our youth teach
our immune systems to grow strong enough
to fight them (and possibly other forms of
infection) in the future; they are our “old friends”.
Let’s just make the distinction that it is not bad
to clean your food, wash your hands, or do
your usual cleaning routine in general. The
environmental “dirt” that I mentioned is not literal
dirt. The way that society has developed, many
people live and grow up in the city, making them
less likely to own pets or to have spent a lot of
time on farms; many children are kept away from
potential pathogens of nature; many are exposed
to antibiotics at a young age; and Caesarean
sections are a common method of delivery.
Epidemiological research has cited these factors
– among others -- as “hygienic” practices that
have led to the increasing incidences of allergies,
asthma, autoimmunity, and psychiatric illnesses
in the recent years. Yes, psychiatric illnesses.
Studies in the late 90s to mid-2000s cited the
hygiene hypothesis as a potential etiological
component for the development of psychiatric
illnesses. Coupled with the behavioural
manifestations of many psychiatric diseases
such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD),
patients often present inflammation marked by
the up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
For MDD in particular, it has been reported that
there is increased production of stress-sensitive
cytokines IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and IFNgamma.
Studies also show correlations between
best friends
by Rory Nakpil (Class 2021)
cytokine-stimulating or cytokine-containing
drugs and the development of depressive
symptoms, and potential anti-depressants
that target cytokines appear to alleviate
depressive symptoms in mice and humans.
The hygiene hypothesis says that lack of
exposure to antigens that train the regulatory
components of our immune system creates
more inflammation than is healthy. This inability
to regulate inflammation appears to be present in
psychiatric illnesses as well, introducing potential
therapeutic targets for this group of illnesses, and
leads to the question, which of our “old friends”
should we be catching up with to learn more?
References:
(c) Markyn Jared Kho, Class 2020
Rook, G.A., & Lowry, C.A. The hygiene hypothesis
and psychiatric disorders. Trends Immunol 2008;
29(4), 150-158.
Müller, N., & Ackenheil, M. Psychoneuroimmunology
and the cytokine action in the CNS: implications for
psychiatric disorders. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol
Biol Psychiatry 1998; 22(1), 1-33.
Maes, M. The cytokine hypothesis of depression:
inflammation, oxidative & nitrosative stress (IO&NS)
and leaky gut as new targets for adjunctive treatments
in depression. Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2008;
29(3), 287-291.
Raison, C.L., Lowry, C.A., & Rook, G.A. Inflammation,
sanitation, and consternation:Loss of contact with
coevolved, tolerogenic microorganisms and the
pathophysiology and treatment of major depression.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2010; 67(12), 1211–1224.
Valentine’s Day is one of our more divisive
holidays. While some may scoff at the thought
of making loved ones feel special on only a
specific day of the year, others are enthralled
by the contagiously fluffy expectations from
a single day. But all that aside, the day of
hearts also serves as a yearly reminder for
us to share the love we have with others.
Upon finding that Valentine’s Day fell on a
weekday this year, some of my batchmates
in Class 2021 came up with the idea of giving
flowers to patients in the Pediatrics and
OB-GYN wards of the Philippine General
Hospital. Christened as “Operation: Spread
the Love”, the idea seemed cheesy at first. It
was the kind of plan that evoked memories of
childhood crushes and innocent prospects.
But its’ charm lay in those very same reasons.
“I felt that flowers symbolize beauty in every
circumstance,” says Sean Cua of Class 2021, who
led the event. “If I’d been a patient on Valentine’s
Day, I’d be touched to receive a handmade flower
because someone remembered the occasion
and took time [to do that] for me. That feeling of
warmth was what I wanted to share for the activity.”
For what seemed to be a small gesture, making
more than two hundred and forty flowers – one
for each patient in six different wards – was no
small feat for those who volunteered to help out.
Still, it was quite a sight to see paper lotuses
and sakuras all packed up for distribution. There
were even small messages for each one. “Ang
mga problema ay hindi hadlang sa pag-abot
ng mga pangarap, ito ay mga gabay lamang,”
one message read. “Always remember that you
are cherished, you are loved,” read another.
Everything happened quickly during the
distribution itself: we introduced ourselves
to the patients and their guardians, greeted
them a happy Valentine’s, gave them a flower,
and read them their message. What was
more important was what we got in return: a
laugh, a wave, a high-five, a bashful “thank
you”. We also gave flowers to the nurses,
and when we still ended up with spares, we
proceeded to hand them out to whomever in the
corridors of the hospital seemed to need one.
“I thought at first that it would be an awkward
exchange, but there was nothing forced or
unnatural in that moment when I told them that
we wanted to give them a gift for Valentine’s and
they started to smile,” says Pia Arevalo of Class
2021, one of the volunteers. “The happiness
they felt, no matter how small, was infectious.
There really is more happiness in giving than
in taking, and it made me want to give more.”
It isn’t hard to see that the unfamiliar, sterile,
and detached environment of a hospital is not
the best place to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I
think that more than the treatment they receive,
patients also look for reassurance and hope.
Arguments on the relevance and meaning of
Valentine’s Day aside, I’d like to think this flowergiving
event helped some find reassurance
in receiving love -- even from strangers --
and hope that even in seemingly lonesome
situations, there are those that still care.
literary
Futility
by Federico de Jesus (Class 2020)
As the world yearns for kindness
When all heaven has turned
a deaf ear to its people who plead
For shining moments, all but fleeting
In a world draped in darkness
Pain used to be intangible
An abstract interpretation of the mind
To merely evade circumstances of
destruction
But in its full flavor, in its begrudging and
cruel grip
It becomes a thing as real as today
As the hands I hold slowly slip away
And the eyes I look into begin to assume
the color
Of the fire within, that smoulders slowly
to oblivion, to nihil
And yet,
The room goes on
The clock still ticks
The stale air still prevails
In reminding me, that this nightmare is
real
(c) Eurielle Gregorio, Class 2021
I am at a loss
To find purpose in these phenomena;
That seek to bring out chivalry in others
yet drop to despair all the rest
The curiosity that sparks the soul to
pursue knowledge up to eternity
Is blank when asked:
‘Why is there pain?’
This call to arms
This race against time
This futile struggle against the whims of
entropy
Are but what make us human
The world always yearns for kindness
All men strive to be more than
what they were a second ago
To bring out shining moments, all but
fleeting
In a world draped in darkness

literary
Editorial board
LOrena Osorio
Class 2021
Editor-in-Chief
mark teo
Class 2023
Rory nakpil
Class 2021
News Editors
Regiel Mag-usara
Class 2020
Features and Literary Editor
KIM IVAN MENDOZA
Federico de jesus
Class 2020
Photography Editors
contributors
Arobe goling ii
Class 2019
Michelle eala
nefren lobitana
leander quilang
nadine uy
Class 2020
Layout by
LOrena osorio
Ang Landas Na
Aking Tinahak
by Federico de Jesus (Class 2020)
Ako ay tumutungo sa landas
Kung saan ang pagdurusa ay karaniwang
bagay
Ngunit hinding hindi ko mababaliwala
Ang pag-isangtabi ng kung anong tama
Wala man akong masasabing maganda
Nais ko sanang iparating
Na hindi ako manhid
Ako’y nagmamahal ng tahimik
Tulad ng aking Diyos na gayunman din ang
ikinasawi
Sabi nila magmahal ng lubusan
At huwag mag-antay ng kapalit
Nangangako’y hindi ako titigil:
Hanggang sa maubusan ng lakas
Hanggang sa matuyuan ng pawis
Hanggang sa mawalan ng tulog
Hanggang sa dulo ng aking kakayahan
Hahanapan kita ng paraan at
Hindi kita bibiguin.
Buhay mo’y nasa aking kamay
At ang aking kamay ay para sa iyo.
A Prayer on
Stilettos
by Mark Teo (Class 2023)
I walk up to you
I hold out my hand
The song starts to play
As the world fades to black
For you are the rhythm
The beat to the rhyme
The points that fill
Every part of a line
We dance off the edges
Past distance and drifts
Took spaces between us
As balances shift
We enjoy this brief moment
Enjoy this one glance
And I hope that
This time
I won’t
Waste
This
Chance
Aufbau
by Mark Teo (Class 2023)
Hush dear heart
Be stable
Hold your stride sublime
Take her slowly by the hand
And lead the sparks to life
Hush dear heart
Be subtle
For you must know your place
In spite of all one’s feelings
There should always be a pace
Hush dear heart
Be silent
Know all these things take time
A world of our own making
Is a wait well worth its rhyme
Ramblings of a
Medical Student
by Regiel Mag-usara (Class 2020)
It’s two in the morning
Five transes to go
The exam is looming
There’s so much I don’t know
Yet my mind wanders
To a few years from now
When I treat my patients
Will I really know how?
Will I be able to remember
All the things I tried to learn
As they rely on this young doctor,
my help they desperately yearn
Will I diagnose correctly?
Will my management be the best?
As they put their trust in me,
will I be able to trust myself?
When someone dies on my watch,
can I truly say “I did my best”?
And give the family comfort
And a little bit of rest?
Or will my incompetence be revealed
For everyone to see
As I struggle to admit
“It’s my fault, I’m so sorry.”
These questions plague daily
The crevices of my mind
As I persist to study
Day in, day out, I try
A competent and compassionate physician
That is what I should be
I should persist in my studies
I should do this with glee
And yet it’s now 2:30 in the morning
Still five transes to go
There’s no end in sight
There’s so much more to know.
Facebook: @UPMedics
Twitter: @upmedics
Website: www. medics.upcm.ph