30/08/2026
๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ค๐ข๐ญ, ๐๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ฆ๐ธ ๐๐ฐ๐ค๐ข๐ญ #69 | ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ฆ๐ธ #183 | ๐๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ฆ๐ธ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐๐ฃ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ข
๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ฌ: ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐
๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ ๐. ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง, ๐๐๐ซ๐ฃ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐๐จ (๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ)
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Last February, I was fortunate enough to find a copy of ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ by Arturo B. Rotor at a branch of Merriam Bookstore. The book has long been out of print from Ateneo de Manila University Press. Much of Rotorโs work offers a portrait of the Philippine healthcare system. First published in 1983, the stories continue to resonate todayโsome things have changed, but many remain the same.
Now in 2025, with the publication of ๐๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ด: ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, edited by Dr. Ronnie Baticulon and Maโam Marjorie Evasco and released by Milflores Publishing, Inc., these shifts and continuities are once again documentedโthis time through the lens of a diverse literary collection. The book reflects both the progress and persistent struggles in Philippine healthcare, telling these stories through fiction rooted in lived experience.
Featured on the bookโs cover is Carlos โBotongโ Franciscoโs ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด (1953), which depicts a babaylan treating the sick. The painting unfolds in four panels, tracing the history of healing in the countryโfrom Pre-colonial times, through the Spanish and American eras, to the present. Once displayed at the Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, the piece now resides at the National Museum of Fine Arts. Even the cover alone signals what lies ahead in the book: a reflection of the evolving yet uneven medical practice in the Philippines.
The anthology is divided into three sections: ๐๐ฐ๐ค๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด, ๐๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด, and ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐บ. What I appreciated most is how the personal experiences of doctors, patients, and caregivers are used to portray the face of healthcare in a community, and, by extension, the nation as a whole.
In ๐๐ฐ๐ค๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด, the stories bring to life the quiet dilemmas physicians face. Though doctors are often expected to remain impersonal, the stories allow readers a glimpse into what they carry insideโthe grief, the helplessness, the quiet sorrow they must suppress. How does one break the news that blindness is permanent? Or that nothing more can be done?
The ๐๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด section shifts the focus to those receiving care. We encounter questions that dig deep: Are companies biased against women who go on maternity leave? How does a family cope with a cancer diagnosis? What emotional toll does death take on those left behind? Is belief in superstition harmful, or might it offer a form of comfort when nothing else does?
In ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐บ, the final section, we hear the stories of those who care for the sick. They are the ones beside us when illness strikes. The stories explore how society perceives those with mental health conditions, and how beliefs like faith healing still hold sway in some communities.
Beyond the quality of the stories themselves, another highlight of the anthology is its inclusion of works written in Filipino and Binisaya, with English translations provided. Some of these stories delve into superstition and belief systems, showing not just how they might be challenged, but also why they persist.
Overall, ๐๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ด accomplishes what it sets out to do. While the countryโs healthcare system has made strides, many old problems remain, especially in remote areas, but even in the cities: lack of access to medical care, the high cost of medicine, and the persistent inequalities in who gets to live with dignity and health. There is still so much left untold about our healthcare system. But this collection is a strong start. It encourages all of usโwhether weโre in the medical field or notโto read, share, or write stories on this vital topic. It also challenges us to keep advocating for universal healthcare for all Filipinos.
๐ฃ.๐ฆ.
I chose not to name a favorite story because, frankly, itโs too hard to pick just one (the selection is that good). I just hope this short review is enough to convince you to grab a copy for yourself.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐:
Baticulon, R. E., & Evasco, M. (Eds.). (2025). ๐๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ด: ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ. Milflores Publishing, Inc.
Ibarra, B. (2025, February 27). ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ฆ๐ธ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฐ ๐. ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ [Facebook post]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15UasLJAjo/
National Museum of the Philippines. (n.d.). ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด [Exhibition note]. Retrieved April 6, 2025, from https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/exhibitions/fine-arts/gallery-16/
Reddit user. (2022, February 1). ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด (1953) [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/museum/comments/slx115/progress_of_medici
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