I am a graduate of the Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine (INTARMED) program of the University of the Philippines (UP), a seven-year accelerated medical program which accepts only 20 boys and 20 girls (who just graduated from high school) into the UP College of Medicine. I graduated as Cum Laude in Bachelor of Science in Basic Medical Sciences. I also graduated as Cum Laude in Doctor of Medicine and as class salutatorian in the UP College of Medicine. During medical school, I was a consistent University/College scholar. I also received many awards such as the E.C. Reyes Memorial Medal for Excellence in Physiology, the U.P. Medicine Class 1938 Student Award for Academic Excellence, the U.P. Medical Class 1949 Student Award for Academic Excellence, Outstanding Integrated Clinical Clerk in Medicine, Outstanding Clinical Clerk in Medicine, Dr. Gregorio T. Alvior, Jr. Award for Academic Excellence in Medicine, Dr. Daniel S. De La Paz Award for Excellence in Pharmacology, and Outstanding Intern in Family and Community Medicine. For my internship, I took Track C (Straight Internship) in Internal Medicine, training under the Department of Internal Medicine of the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH). After passing the Physician Licensure Examination (PLE), I worked in Healthway Manila and Healthway Family Clinic - Lower Bicutan, Taguig.