Alumni News
Irene Manlapaz Presidential Inaugural Speech, UERM San Francisco Convention/Reunion
July 5, 2008
Dr. Romy Divinagracia, Dean Retta Tan-Reyes, Dr. Habalo, Fellow Alumni, Friends..
Magandang gabi…. Good evening!
Tonight is indeed a night of celebration. We can still feel the joy of celebrating the Independence Day of our
adopted country and the pride of each American in making sure that America will continue to be the Promised Land
for anybody willing to work hard and respect the dignity of his fellowmen.
For our Alumni Association in America it is also a night of great celebration. We have finally broken the glass
ceiling and elected our first female president. We have illustrious previous male presidents and I am sure that
they will be my great advisors.
My road to presidency has been exciting and educational. I am very grateful that I was given the opportunity to be
in the management of our Association while I was studying my business classes. Many alumni leaders have contributed to
my personal growth and please indulge me in mentioning few of them.
Dr. Rene Querubin is the person who started it all. He made sure that I would be the Executive Secretary in his administration
in 2000-2002. And, to quote Rene "Irene, remember, I discovered you". Yes, I will always remember… Dr. Rogelio Sion,
one of our founding fathers is my source of knowledge about the history of the Association and continuous to give valuable advice.
I have great admiration of Dr. El Castro for his dedication to make the Alumni Foundation in compliance with government regulations.
Under the leadership of its current Chairman, Dr. Benjamin Rigor, I am sure the Alumni Foundation will continue its role in
encouraging our alumni and friends to support our Alma Mater and UERM Charity Hospital. By the way, I am sure many of you know
that Benjie is not just a prolific lecturer. In June 2007, I invited Benjie to be the moderator during my induction as President of
the Association of Philippine Physicians in Louisiana & Gulf coast and the Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officers of my
hospital and their wives who were in attendance thought that Benjie is a professional stand-in comedienne.
How can I forget the so many hours once or twice a week that Dr. Joseph Rastrollo and I would be discussing the so many projects
of the Alumni Association when I was his Executive Director. I am grateful that Jeff believed in my management skills even when
perceived by some that I was very aggressive. Jeff supported my plans of making the net income of the 2003 Convention double that
of the 2000 Las Vegas Convention, which at that time had the highest income in the history of our annual conventions. But of course,
the 2003 New York Convention shattered our goal. Dr. Alex Bobila and the Northeast Chapter brought in Net Income of ~$120,000.
The succeeding years gave us similar successes. We established our protocols and standardized our procedures. The support of my previous
predecessors, Dr. Manuel Blas and Dr. Edgar Banez is important, but what is instrumental in the continued success of our operations is
the hard work of 2 ladies- Dr. Susan Perez-Suntay and Dr. Sonia Rico-Todd.
As in previous annual conventions and reunions, our dedicated host chapter officers and group of alumni volunteers are the backbone of
our Association. We have great time and fond memories this week and I am sure some hearts will stay behind in San Francisco thanks to
the meticulous planning of the Northern California Chapter headed by my classmate, Dr. Tina Pamintuan-Manio.
Several alumni have already asked me what will be my plans for the next 2 years. First, it is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Benching
Tan will be our next Executive Director. Preparations for the 2009 New York Convention at Waldorf=Astoria Hotel headed by Dr. Amie Malihan
are already in full swing. The Southern California Chapter has also volunteered to host the 2010 Convention in Newport Beach, California.
Please save your July 4 weekend holidays in the next 2 years for our yearly convention and reunion.
But, the most important plan I want all of us to accomplish is for the UERM Alumni to own UERM. Many of us are not just physicians.
Many of us are business owners and some of us have also gotten additional knowledge from business schools. I would like to form a task
force that will study how our alumni can own or invest in UERM. Our alma mater has already produced ~5,000 alumni. If 1,000 of us will
invest $10,000 each that will be $10 Million towards improvement and survival of our school and still get returns on our investment. I
think it will be a great legacy to leave behind--- UERMMMC is owned by UERM Alumni.
Lastly, I would like to mention that the love of my family, classmates and friends is my constant source of happiness and the support,
love, and understanding of my husband, Dan gives me the energy to pursue so many projects and undertakings. And, I also believe that
everything we accomplish in this life is just part of the Great Creation.
Thank you and enjoy the rest of the evening.