Dr. Fe del Mundo, the first woman to enroll at Harvard Medical School, turns 97 today. Arguably the most famous Filipino pediatrician alive, the Magsaysay Awardee and National Scientist is a pioneer in the public health sector, actively engaged in rural health issues. She founded the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines, pioneered in research of infectious diseases such as dengue, and is credited with inventing an incubator made out of bamboo. As of last report, she was still making the daily rounds for her patients, despite her really advanced age.
During the Japanese Occupation (World War II), Del Mundo held clinic inside the UST campus, where American nationals were interned for the duration of the war. She became known as The Angel of Santo Tomas. Here's a heartwarming article featuring one of those American interns, now in her 80s, who remembers Del Mundo fondly.
November 27 also happens to be Ninoy's birthday (76 were he still alive), as well as the date my grandpa died eleven years ago. November 27 is likewise being hawked by the SM Malls as Thanksgiving Day in the Philippines, a preposterous notion intended to lure those who do not know better into frivolous shopping. (Though I had tentative plans to have SPAM turkey today)
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