“It is the burden of the UPMASA to help the Nation compete in the world, yet not be oblivious to the needs of our people. It is about discovering new medicine, yet not forgetting that Filipinos cannot die because they do not have a doctor.”
These were the words of Dr. Silverio “Billy” Buenafe Cabellon, Jr., Φ1967, SE ’71-’72 as he was formally inaugurated as the new President of the UP Medical Alumni Society in America (UPMASA) last July 6, 2013 at the UPMASA Annual Grand Convention 2013 at Honolulu, Hawaii.
Brod Billy Cabellon ’67 speaks to the audience of Empowerment Through Mobility about the Fraternity.
No man is an island. Brod Billy displayed signs of leadership and selflessness early on as he confesses having the subliminal need to belong to a group that he will be proud of and which will give him the opportunities to contribute as needed – hence the decision to join Phi Kappa Mu. There are no regrets.
“Being a PHI was an exhilarating experience in the UP College of Medicine”, he recalls. He would be invited to join the upperclassmen brods to get-togethers before going home every Friday. Service was already given high appraisal as brods would already be sponsors of many blood drives and organizers of community activities such as that in Sapang Palay. The Fraternity helped develop the leader in the young Brod Billy as he became part of the University Student Council during his senior year. Brod Billy was then elected as the Fraternity’s Superior Exemplar in 1971. “Up to this day, I owe it to the Brods the honor, prestige, and opportunity to serve.”
After finishing medical school at the College of Medicine, he was commissioned as a Captain of the US Army Medical Corps right away and began an Internship at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis, Washington. He took up a General Surgery residency program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and later a Vascular Surgery fellowship at the same institution. He would then hold top administrative posts in General Surgery and Vascular Surgery in various institutions. He would attribute this success to his first few appendectomies and epidermal inclusion cyst excisions under the supervision of brods back in his medical school days.
Upon retirement from the US Army, Brod Billy was awarded its highest honor for service, the Legion of Merit.
Brod Billy started becoming active in UPMASA after his 25th year of Graduation from the College of Medicine. He served first as Chapter President of the UPMASA Baltimore Chapter and was then appointed as Chair of the Constitutional and By Laws Committee. He then ran for Chair of the Board of Governors and competed for the position of President-Elect in 2011.
At his side were the PHI brods and sisses who themselves were regular attendees of the gatherings of the Society. The PHIs of UPMASA would regularly hold mini-reunions and stags days prior or after every UPMASA gathering, all of which he will look forward to.
As present President of the Society, Dr. Cabellon succeeds sis Dr. Zenda Garcia-Lat Φ 1969 (Founder of Phi Lambda Delta) and will eventually hand over the responsibilities to current President-Elect William Honorato “Bill” Eclar Romero Φ 1977 (Founder of PagKalMa, the service arm of the Fraternity).
Congratulations, Brod! Very much well-deserved! All for PHI!
