FOUNDER'S LEGACY
Emelia G. Palencia
May 9, 2019
cont...After half a decade of service, Abundio and Emliia moved to the town of Daet, Camarines Norte. Having saved enough money, they borrowed from the bank to build their medical clinic of 25-bed capacity. Through pure hard work and dedication, they were able to expand the clinic to a 75-bed tertiary hospital 50 years after- their legacy is now known as the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. She raised 6 children who became highly educated professionals- all medical doctors and a scientist. The visionary talent, drive and ambition were all inherited by all the children. Her children learned from her and Abundio not only to practice their medical profession but to pursue other interests in arts and crafts, new technologies- biotechnology- growing mushrooms under the bed, computers-high performance computing, other branches of medicine- diabetes, real-estate, land development, planting all sorts of trees and vegetation, eco-tourism, fishing and fisheries. Even in the 1980's, as a visionary, Emilia was already interested in TESDA and knew its potential to increase productivity and help the community.
Emilia passed away very young as a result of brain tumor. In her honor, the Emilia Palencia Medical-Dental Mission, an annual program was organized by her remaining family through the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital to provide free medical and dental care to the residents of Daet, Camarines Norte and the surrounding towns. It is held during the month of May and has been held annually from 1997 until the present. In that span of time, it has served approximately 20,000 people in the Bicol Region. The mission is staffed in volunteers from the local sector, as well as dozens of medical and dental practitioners, nurses and dental assistants and hygienists from the United States. It is a non-profit organization.
Emilia and Abundio belong to the rare breed of visionaries with the rare integrity, high intelligence and a heart to serve the community. Their legacy of the hospital- Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and school- Our Lady of Lourdes College Foundation and teaching the children how to be productive and contributing members of society. The training installed in their children to respect manual labor and the educated profession is a testimony to their admirable rare strength of character.
By : Josephine G. Palencia
