HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY

PHILIPPINE

SOCIETY OF

PEDIATRIC

SURGEONS

The surgical specialty of PEDIATRIC SURGERY in the Philippines began with the "interest: of a few surgeons. At the UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS, Dr. Serafin Menes began his work in the care of pediatric surgical patients in 1937 when he joined the Department of Pediatrics in the company of such pediatricians as Dr .Remedios Goquiolay-Arellano and Dr. Felix Estrada. He was believed to be the first to do the Swenson's Procedure for Hirschsprung's Disease. At the San Juan De Dios Hospital in Intramuros, Dr. Luis F. Torres, Jr. was practicing Pediatric Thoracic Surgery, particularly on Empyemas in Children in the early 1940's.

In the late 1960's, Dr. Pedro G. Lavadia, Jr. reported the first survivor of an esophageal atresia patient together with Dr. Dulce Reyes Agcaoili, a pediatrician. In 1970, his book, Pediatric Surgical Care, went off the press. It has the distinction of being the only book of this nature to date. It placed emphasis on the need, of not only medical students, but also of nurses and midwives, to learn the basic principles of pediatric surgery as part of their professional training.

In 1969, through the foresight of Dr. Roman S. Ibay, Jr., the Philippine Society of Pediatric Surgeons was founded. After his own training experience at the Boston Floating Hospital under Dr. John Fisher and at the Tufts University, he gathered together all who came back home from training in Pediatric Surgery, to be the Charter Fellows. There was Dr. Flora Te who was already practicing about 4 years at the Children's Medical Center at Banawe, where she later became the Medical Director. She was a Dr. C. Everett Koop trainee at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Henry So, meanwhile, came back in 1968 to join the UST Department of Surgery, Section of Pediatric Surgery, after his training at the Buffalo Children's Hospital in New York, where he had Dr. Scott Boley as co-resident. Another Charter Fellow was Dr. Antonio Ty, a Dr. Harvey Beardmore trainee, who based himself in Cebu City. Dr. Ernesto Cruz was another. He trained at the Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. At that time, Dr. Pedro Reyes, Jr. was with Dr. Lester Martin at the Cincinnati University Children's Medical Center.

Relevant to the growth of the Society was the founding members' roles as advocates of Pediatric Surgery in their respective hospital institutions.

At the UP-PGH, the first step towards the specialization of pediatric surgical care came about in 1965. Dr. Luis Torres, Jr. assigned Dr. Roman Ibay, Jr. and Dr. Pedro Reyes, Jr. to handle respectively the pediatric patients in General Service I and General Service II. The pediatric patients were mixed with the adults at that time. In February 1967, a separate Pediatric Surgical Service was created jointly under Drs. Ibay and Reyes. Upon the retirement of Dr. Reyes in 1984 and the death of Dr. Ibay in 1985, Dr. Josefina R. Almonte took over the section. She was succeeded by Dr. Alfredo C. Acosta in 1994. The following are the graduates of this Training Program: Drs. Wilma A. Baltazar (1984), Antonio D.R. Catangui (1988), Lisa Manalang (1990), Alvin Caballes (1992), Leadro L. Resurreccion III (1994), Celine Villegas (1996) and Esther Saguil (1998).

Dr. Ernesto Cruz headed the section of the National Children's Hospital and UE-RMMMC until his incapacity in 1988. Dr. Serafin Menes at the UST Hospital suffered from Parkinson's Disease and Dr. Hernan Reyes took over the Section upon his arrival in 1966. When he left in 1967, Dr. Flora Te accepted the position. Dr. Henry B. So assumed the responsibility of Chief of Section from 1972 to 1974. From 1975, Dr. Willie N. Lagdameo headed the section.

In the early years of its existence, the PSPS focused itself on one objective: to gain acceptance for Pediatric Surgery as a specialty. The founding members worked in their respective institutions. The next objective was to design a training program for Pediatric Surgeons within the context of existing General Surgery Programs. So in 1972, Dr. Henry B. So took as preceptor, Dr. Willie N. Lagdameo, a graduate of the UST General Surgery restructured training program with full recognition of the PSPS Specialty Board for a three year training. Subsequently, Dr. Alfredo Acosta at UP-PGH, and Dr. Leonardo L. Cua at UST Hospital hurdled their respective programs in 1975 and 1976. Further Pediatric Surgery training was obtained by Dr. Acosta at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, now Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital University of Liverpool, England in 1977 under Professor James Lister, and by Dr. Cua at Children's Hospital in Philiadelphia in 1979. In 1980, they submitted themselves to and successfully passed the first Specialty Board Examination for Fellowship to the PSPS.

In 1979, when the Philippine Children's Medical Center (PCMC) was constructed (under the name of Lungsod ng Kabataan Children's Hospital), Dr. Reyes set up a training program for Pediatric Surgeons with the aim of producing graduates who would, in turn, be the advocates of Pediatric Surgery in the various regions and provinces of the Philippines. Hence, with the help of all the PSPS members, Dr. Reyes recruited General Surgery graduates from Regional Hospitals. By 1985, the following graduated from the program: Drs. Manuel Cajigal, Reynaldo Moreno, Joseph Alesna, Florentino Merin, Alfredo Igama, Renato Bernaldes and Homer Segismundo.

After the EDSA revolution in 1986, Dr. Willie N. Lagdameo assumed the position of Head, Department of Pediatric Surgery at the PCMC. Within 3 1/2 years, up to 1989, the training program was further streamlined, along didactic activities and post-graduate courses. The graduates include: Drs. Beda Espineda, Noel Binayas, Franco Gomez, Roberto Lozada, Rene Rafols and Maribel Du.

Dr. Alfredo C. Acosta succeeded as PCMC Pediatric Surgery Department Head in 1990, with Drs. Reginald V. Hao, Don Enrico Garcia, Jaime Tiopianco, Jose Matilac, Jr., Dexter Aison, Cesar Bernabe and Delfin Cuajunco finishing the training program.

In 1994, Dr. Leonardo L. Cua assumed the chairmanship as Drs. Dures Fe Escarro and Omarbasha Lucman graduated from the program.

Going back to the UP-PGH, Dr. Josefina R. Almonte followed Dr. Alfredo C. Acosta. She finished in 1978; later she went to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney, Australia under Dr. Cohen. Dr. Wilma Baltazar graduated in 1983. Sometime later, she attended a postgraduate course in Ano-Rectal Malformation at the Schneider's Children's Hospital in New York. Both successfully passed the PSPS Specialty Board in 1988, together with Drs. Alesna and Merin.

Over at the UST Hospital, the program was resumed in 1987 after Dr. Lagdameo completed his International Guest Scholarship Award given by the American College of Surgeons, which he spent at the Boston Children's Hospital under Dr. W. Hardy Herdren and at the Cook County Hospital in Chicago under Dr. Hernan Reyes. Dr. Hermogenes Regal was the trainee, followed by Dr. Levy Suyo, then Dr. Adrian Yu. Dr. Regal and Dr. Suyo completed the program respectively in 1988 and 1990. Dr. Yu did not finish the program. Dr. Ma. Luisa D. Aquino graduated in 1995.

With the migration back to the US of most of the Pediatric Surgeons in the mid-70's, the PSPS survived under the patient leadership of the remaining Founding Fellows, namely, Drs. Roman Ibay, Jr., Pedro M. Reyes, Jr., and Ernesto Cruz. Dr. Lagdameo was accepted in 1975 and immediately acted as Secretary-Treasurer. The three rotated the presidency every two years among themselves. In 1984, PSPS hosted the Biennal Meeting of the Asian Association of Pediatric Surgeons in Manila when Dr. Ibay was President.

With the untimely demise of Dr. Ibay in 1985, the incapacity of Dr. Cruz in 1988 and his eventual death in 1993, Dr. Reyes remained as president of the society. While Dr. Reyes was undergoing medical treatment in the US, Drs. Lagdameo, Acosta, Cua, Almonte and Baltazar carried on the cudgels for the PSPS. Dr. Lagdameo became the active President with Dr. Almonte as acting secretary-treasurer from 1989-1993. Their positions became official when a new Board of Directors was elected in 1994. Dr. Almonte acted as Chairman of the Examination Committee from 1989-1993 and later became Chairman of the PBPS officially after an election which was held at the same time as the PSPS.

The Training programs at the 3 hospital institutions (UST, UP-PGH,PCMC) were continued. Scientific Activities including Post-Graduate courses were held yearly. The Specialty Board Examinations are conducted regularly.

At present, the PSPS counts in its roster 9 Honorary Members, 8 Charter Fellows, 25 Fellows/Diplomates, 5 Fellow Inductees, 1 Diplomate, 4 Diplomate Inductees, 13 in the Candidates Group and 3 Fellows in Training.

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