DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY

CURRENT CHAIR & FACULTY STAFF

CURRENT CHAIR Dr. Ponciano M. Bernardo
FACULTY STAFF
Dr. Ramon C. Abella
Dr. Dale Raymond Abraham
Dr. German Jose T. Albano
Dr. Samuel T. Andin
Dr. Sergio P. Brillantes
Dr. Antonio C. Cabigas
Dr. Enrique C. Collantes
Dr. Pauldion Cruz
Dr. Leonardo Cua
Dr. Beda Espineda
Dr. Teodie Flores
Dr. Henry Falcotelo
Dr. Norman S. Garcia
Dr. Gil R. Gueco
Dr. Cynthia P. Kapangyarihan
Dr. Cesar B. Isidro
Dr. Bibly L. Macaya
Dr. Elena B. Realubit
Dr. Lilybeth R. Tanchoco
Dr. Erwin Q. Vito-Cruz

HISTORY
The year was 1947. The Board of Trustees of the Manila Central Colleges, in the spirit of public service, decided to acquire the facilities of the defunct Afable College of Medicine, including the Manila General Hospital. Thus, came the birth of the College of Medicine of the Manila Central Colleges, later known as the MCU together with the Department of Surgery.

At that time medical director was Dr. Fortunato Guerrero who served concurrently as the first chairperson of the Department of Surgery. He occupied the position from 1947 to 1953. The first surgical residency graduates under him were Drs. Jesus Lizardo and Rodolfo Lontoc. Dr. Guerrero was replaced as department chair by Dr. Francisco Guzman who held the position from 1953 to 1955.

Dr. Jaime Aquino took over as chairperson of the department in 1955. Prior to his appointment as head of the Department of Surgery, Dr. Aquino was the chief resident of the department and the chief of clinics. In 1955, he was sent by the administration to the United States for specialized studies and observation in the modern practice of surgery. Upon his return, Dr. Aquino was given the position vacated by Dr. Guzman. It was to be the longest chairmanship in the history of MCU as Dr. Aquino headed the department for 30 years from 1955 to 1985. What was more amazing was that at one time Dr. Aquino held 3 different posts all at the same time. He was the department chairperson, the medical director and the dean of the College of Medicine (1969 – 1973). Perhaps no one in the history of MCU can equal the commitment and loyalty of Dr. Aquino who up to the present is an active consultant of the department.

Among the graduates who finished their residency under Dr. Jaime Aquino were the following: Dr. Mario Leyba, Dr. Synteke Demonteverde, Dr. Manuel Dijamco, Dr. Damaso de Castro, Dr. Francisco Rodriguez, Dr. Rogelio Arizala, Dr. Vicente Alfajora, Dr. Manuel Rivera, Dr. Rogelio Alvarade, Dr. James Albarastine, Dr. Juan Hernandez, Dr. Florencio Castillo, Dr. Manuel Lagman, Dr. Paterno Encarnacion, Dr. Florain Limjoco and Dr. Mario Sevilla.

During Dr. Aquino’s term, the department was affiliated with several hospitals (North General Hospital, V. Luna Hospital, Veteran’s Memorial Hospital) where clerks and interns of MCUH could rotate. Together with Dr. Aquino were other surgeons who were responsible for training the students and surgical residents.

1968 marked an important milestone in the history of the department. The Residency Training Program was accredited by the Philippine College of Surgeons.

Dr. Ponciano Bernardo, Jr. occupied the chairmanship from Chairman 1985 – 1994. Prior to his appointment as department chairperson, Dr. Bernardo was the Chief of Clinics since 1974. It was during his term that the department saw numerous changes. Realizing the increasing trend towards subspecialty in surgery. Dr. Bernardo slowly acquired the services of various specialists in the field. Surgery was divided into the different subspecialties: Neurosurgery headed by Dr. Jesus Lazaro, Plastic Surgery headed by Dr. Rosauro Cabailo, Head and Neck Surgery headed by Dr. Henry Falcotelo, Pediatric Surgery headed by Dr. Leonardo Cua, TCVS headed by Dr. Antonio Cabigas, Orthopedic Surgery headed by Dr. Vedasto Lim, Colo-rectal Surgery headed by Dr. Alberto Roxas and Urology headed by Dr. Ponciano Bernardo, Jr.

The surgical office, which previously was situated in the Medical Director’s Office, was transferred to the office of the chief of clinics. Under Dr. Bernardo, the department deemed it fit to have its own training officer whose role was to directly oversee the training of surgical residents. Dr. Rosauro Cabailo was the first training officer from 1985 to 1989. He was succeeded by Dr. Herminio Hernandez from 1989 to 1992. The post is presently being held by Dr. Ramon Abella. It was also during Dr. Bernardo’s term that the Department of Anesthesia was separated from the Department of Surgery in the hospital.

During the term of Dr. Bernardo, the number of surgical residents was increased from one per year to two residents per year. During his incumbency, graduates of the residency program starting from the batch of Drs. Henry Falcotelo, Ramon Abella, Norman Garcia, Cesar Isidro, and Paul Arnel Andres (presently the Chairman of the Department of Surgery, Quezon City General Hospital) were able to pass consistently in the exams given by the Philippine Board of Surgery. Some of the graduates, Drs. Elmer Punzalan, Errol Ramajo, and Renato Tanchoco, went to public service and held some administrative post. Drs. Henry Falcotelo and Paul Arnel Andres are presently designated as examiners of the Philippine Board of Surgery.

Other changes / improvements during Dr. Bernardo’s term were as follows: acquisition of a set of cystoscope-resectoscope, audio-visual equipment for teaching, video-lap and upgrading of the department’s library. Another important accomplishment under Dr. Bernardo was the holding of weekly conferences, monthly Journal Club, yearly postgraduate courses and the annual research contest among the surgical residents. As a result of the thrust toward experimental research, the department was able to consistently win in the annual interdepartmental residents’ research contest.

Dr. Vedasto Lim succeeded Dr. Bernardo. Under him, the Department of Surgery continues to grow. The Residency Training Program is undergoing some vital changes as it was modified from the previous 4-year program to 5 years. The Faculty Staff is continually being upgraded. The PBL or problem based learning is being implemented in the College of Medicine. Among the achievements under his term is the establishment of the Surgical Inter-University Research Foundation of which the MCU Department of Surgery is one of the five founding institutions.
The graduates of the residency program under his term were Drs. Karl Uy (TCVS), Ma. Zaida Reyes (the first female graduate of the department’s residency program), Israel Cervo, and Ronnie Torres.

The history of the department would not be complete without mentioning Dr. Sergio Brillantes, who inspired the surgical residents in their quest for skills and theoretical knowledge. He was known as the great mentor of the department and still aggressively pursues quest for knowledge. During his term, he popularized the importance of surgical missions not only within Metro Manila but also to nearby provinces. The graduates of the residency program under his chairmanship were Drs. Cynthia Kapangyarihan, Leandro Sacro, Pauldion Cruz (Hepato-biliary) and Darwin Corpuz.

Drs. Pauldion Cruz and Juan Bardeloza won first place during the 2nd PCS-MMC “Batakan ng Utak” Surgical Quiz Contest.

Dr. Henry Falcotelo succeeded Dr. Brillantes as the department’s chairman starting the year 2001. His chairmanship was greatly acknowledged because the full accreditation of the residency training program was granted by the Philippine College of Surgeons. The graduates of the program under his term were Drs. Antonio Buban, Michael Matias, Rogelio Sarmiento Jr., Ismael Umali, Arnold Plima, and Emmanuel Unay.

Presently, Dr. Ponciano Bernardo Jr. was re-assigned to the chairmanship post of the department. With the able leadership of Dr. Bernardo, more changes are in store for the Department of Surgery.

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