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Dr. Constantino Manahan
Dr. Constantino P. Manahan was a major pillar and guiding spirit of Makati Medical Center. As one of the foremost obstetrician-gynecologist in the country, Dr Constantino P. Manahan (CPM) could aptly be called a “lifegiver”.
Long before it became politically correct to do so, Dr. Manahan was solidly committed to the principle “Health for all regardless of race, creed or economic status.” This led him to establish the Makati Indigent Program (MIP) in 1972, barely three years after the founding of Makati Med.
Under MIP, Dr. Manahan and his colleagues offered their services to the poor for free. Unsurprisingly, his name is immortalized in many birth certificates of Filipino indigents born between 1972 to 1988.
A quiet worker, he shunned publicity and public accolade. Today, many Filipinos remain touched by his compassion and deep involvement in the health care of the less privileged.
Dr. Manahan graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 1936. In 1983, he was named “Physician of the Year” by the Professional Regulations Commission.
The UP College of Medicine also chose Dr. Manahan as the most outstanding alumnus of its College of Medicine in 1986. He was Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology there at that time, and is credited until today for training many of the country’s best obstetricians and gynecologists.
At the distinguished Johns Hopkins Hospital where he took up residency, Dr. Manahan established two enviable records: he was the only doctor in the hospital’s history to achieve senior residency in the then separate departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and eventually, became the first Filipino to be a diplomate in this specialization in the United States. It was largely because of this feat that he was offered the position of chairman and professor of the Obstetrics Department of Emery College in Virginia.
But as touching as it is providential, Dr. Manahan chose to return to the Philippines to serve his people. He joined the office of then President Sergio Osmeña as an adviser on hospitals. He helped organize the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS) and became its second president.
Until his death, Dr. Manahan was Makati Med’s chairman and medical director, director of its research and development division, and head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. He was also president of the Philippine Cancer Society and chairman of the advisory council of POGS.
Dr. Manahan was a physician, professor, scientist, researcher, writer, founder, hospital administrator, director, president, chairman of the board. He had wealth, power and prestige. But he is most widely remembered for his soft heart for the poor. He loved people, and the people loved him back. To honor him, Makati Med’s new annex is named after him.
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