MMSU honors newly licensed physicians
By Ian Paul Villanueva
The MMSU College of Medicine (COM) honored its 10 new licensed physicians who passed the March 2026 Physicians Licensure Examination through its 9th Testimonial Celebration, held last May 8 at the MMSU Center for Flexible Learning.
The program honored Dr. Christian Andrew Tagami, who placed ninth in the exams, alongside fellow passers Dr. Lovillie Mae Albano, Dr. Venher Angelique Luis, Dr. May Enaccel Macalan, Dr. Justine Paul Martin, Dr. Samsi Wanli Nahial, Dr. Herlorraine Peach Obispo, Dr. Shaira Mae Rivera, Dr. Rey Benedict Villacillo, and Dr. Vander John Doctor. The families of the new physicians were also present on the occasion.
The testimonial celebration comes after the university was able to sustain its strong performance in the examinations. It logged a 90.91% institutional passing rate, surpassing the national rate of 70.41%. Dr. Tagami, who garnered a rating of 88.25%, led the MMSU passers and placed ninth among the country’s nearly 2,000 new physicians.
Dr. Policarpio Joves, Jr., former COM dean, graced the event as guest of honor and speaker. He motivated the new doctors to serve their communities with the values that MMSU has taught them. “Always remember, your diploma made you graduates. Your board rating made you passers, but your character, compassion, and integrity will define the kind of physician you will become,” he added.
MMSU President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr., commended the new physicians for sustaining the university’s excellent performance in the exams and urged them to serve the province and Region 1. He also encouraged the COM to keep holding the quality of medical education in the university to a high standard.
“Today, we applaud our new doctors for bringing glory to our university. I hope that you will choose to serve our province. After all, that was the commitment when the previous leaders of the college and the university proposed the establishment of the COM,” Dr. Manzano remarked.
“We also thank the mentors, the committed professors of the COM, who want nothing less than the success of our students. May these victories continue to fuel your desire to aim for even greater achievements,” Dr. Manzano added.
Reflecting on his childhood years, Dr. Tagami said, “Sometimes, the dreams planted in us the earliest are the ones closest to our purpose. Becoming a doctor has always been a silent whisper in my heart, long before I understood it fully.”
A licensed pharmacist from the MMSU College of Health Sciences, Dr. Tagami shared that his childhood dream of becoming a doctor once took a pause but was rekindled with the opening of the College of Medicine in MMSU.
“When MMSU opened its College of Medicine, it felt like a door reopening in the story I thought had paused,” he said, adding, “Even as my hands learned a different kind of healing, my heart never let go of its first dream to become a physician.”
In his speech, Dr. Tagami also thanked the university for the education that it afforded him. “To the MMSU College of Medicine, thank you for shaping both the physician and the person I am today. You instilled discipline, dedication, and a heart of service,” he remarked.
Dr. Tagami was awarded a special incentive in honor of his achievement as a topnotcher. He is the fourth graduate of the MMSU-COM to enter the top ranks of the examinations. He is preceded by Dr. Jaymee Quindara (9th in April 2021), Stephen Dann Del Rosario (9th in November 2021), and Dr. Aira Cassandra Castro (1st in May 2023).
May, 12, 2026 05:21:pm
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