Tigwahanon-Manobo nurse graduates from medical school

A registered nurse has proudly announced that he is the first Tigwahanon-Manobo doctor of medicine graduate of De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute.

Joeffrey Mambucon, 31, shared the amazing news on Facebook on Tuesday.

Joeffrey, who hailed from Sitio Opis, Bukidnon, thanked his school for offering scholarships to indigenous people like him. 

The Lumad student said many discouraging remarks were thrown his way during his journey—from people who doubted how his illiterate parents could raise a physician to people who ridiculed him for not having a home and having an intonation—but he didn’t give up.

“All of these remarks would have been enough proof for me to just stay in the mountains and be with my carabaos and chickens,” he said.

“Nothing more could ever compare to the amount of pain I have felt for being discriminated, which made me ask, ‘Is it too hard to just support and love one another rather than taunt him/her for his/her dreams?’ And yet these bitter experiences certainly make life more meaningful and worth living,” he added.  

“Kung ikaw man ay nakaranas ng pangungutya, at napagsabihan na wala kang mararating sa buhay dahil isa ka lang katutubo o wala kang kakayahan: huwag kang magalit. Gawin mong inspirasyon ’yun.”

Joeffrey is now on his way to finish his year-long post-graduate internship before he takes his board exam.

He hopes to join the Doctors to the Barrios program of the Department of Health to serve his countrymen who, like him, live in far-flung areas. – Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News