By Paulerni Gulinao Coloyan Φ2022 and Jose Alfonso Cosico Madroño Φ2022
With a heart rooted in service for the Filipino people and an unwavering dedication to mold young minds in the academic field, Brod Abdel Jeffri Abubakar Abdulla Φ1977 remains a steadfast symbol of a physician para sa bayan. Randy, as his Brods in Phi would often call him, was born and raised in Jolo, Sulu. His interactions with his dear aunt, a pediatrician who held clinics at her sister’s pharmacy, provided him with ample exposure to the health sector and thus motivated him to consider medicine at an early age. “Wala, ayoko ng engineer, ayoko ng law. Isa lang talaga nakita ko for myself, to be a doctor.” After attending the University of the East, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Pre-Medicine, he was supposed to pursue his higher medical studies in the same institution. However, it was in 1977 that he, along with 7 other applicants from non-UP campuses, was accepted into the hallowed halls of the UP College of Medicine. With this, he took the first of many steps towards an illustrious career spanning decades of service, teaching, and guidance to the Filipino people.
Being a Phi Medical Student
Adjusting to the rigors of medical education did not come easily to Brod Randy at first. “I had to really work. I saw it as a challenge, so that I could perform better,” he said with much enthusiasm as he reminisced on his early days in UPCM. Seeking belongingness in this new environment, as well as fellowship opportunities with other future doctors were factors that made him consider joining a medical fraternity. Enamored with the composure, charisma, and no-nonsense attitude of the Phi brothers who recruited him such as Brod Marvin Relato Balaan Φ1975, SE 1978-1979, Brod Randy signed up to become a part of the Phi Kappa Mu. In time, he was able to prove himself worthy to join its Most Venerable Fold, earning his spot as a part of Phi Batch 1977.
Maintaining the same drive to excel academically, now with the support of the Fraternity, Brod Randy fondly looked back on multiple experiences he went through in the College as a Phi. He first talked about the big fountains situated where Robinsons Place Manila now stands, as among his favorite places to spend time with his brods and classmates. Becoming a member of Phi, in work and in leisure, had certainly made his life in the college much more meaningful and worthwhile. In his internship year, he even moved into a dorm with other brods as his roommates. With all the support he received, he was able to excel in his years in the college, finally graduating in 1981 with a degree in Medicine. His loyalty to the Fraternity never wavered, even decades later as an established alumni. He served as a treasurer under three different Presidential terms of the Phi Kappa Mu Alumni Association and still finds the time to remain present in various activities of the Fraternity. Even today, one may encounter his captivating personality in performances at the annual university-wide variety show: Tao Rin Pala.
Teaching As His Calling
After finishing their education in the College, UPCM graduates back then were required to serve in their provinces for at least 6 months. Brod Randy was assigned to his home province in Sulu. After losing a patient whose appendectomy he assisted in, he realized that he should train for surgery, a field he claims that the Filipino people, especially those in remote areas, need more experts in. His dream of training under the PGH Department of Surgery was put on hold as he was initially accepted into a different residency program. Being steadfast in his desire to learn more about anatomy and still pursue surgery in the future, he instead joined the UPCM Department of Anatomy as a faculty member, where his Phi batchmate, Brod Noel Giron Guison Φ1977 was Chairman then; and another batchmate, close friend, and eventual godfather to his son, Brod Pio Renato Figer Villacorta Φ1977, taught as well.
He recounts his first formal class as a lecturer — presented to a batch fresh off a difficult exam. To his surprise he was able to flip the frowns of his students into smiles through his inspiring opening lecture. “They really liked it. Kinwento nila sa parents nila, and I got good feedback.” It was then that he realized his calling was to impart knowledge in medical school, which up to this day, he does with the same enthusiasm and vigor as when he first started. After three years in the Anatomy department, he applied for and was eventually accepted by the PGH Department of Surgery.
Career Through Service
Familiar faces welcomed Brod Randy as he started his career in surgery. Brod Pio, his colleague at the Anatomy Department, ended up as his senior during residency, and most, if not all his co-residents were his juniors in medical school. However, he did not use his break from formal training to slow him down during residency. He served as the Assistant Chief Resident in his final year, which he describes as being the de facto chief, sharing almost the same level of responsibility as the actual position. After finishing his residency, he operated on patients from PGH, Manila Doctors, and Los Baños, sometimes in tandem with his kumpare, Brod Pio, which he always looked forward to every time. While he had opted out of opportunities to pursue a research fellowship both locally and abroad due to conflicts with personal and family affairs, his thirst for further learning never wavered.
Brod Randy also took it upon himself to further his education through a Masters Degree in Hospital Administration. He saw this as an opportunity to potentially take administrative roles in medical institutions in the future, should the opportunity present itself. He does so with the firm belief that aside from going into academe and clinical practice, it is worthwhile to be affiliated with a medical school or university hospital as a way of giving back to the Filipinos. Service to his countrymen, may it be as a doctor or a leader in his academic and administrative responsibilities, is imbued through Brod Randy’s thoughts, actions, and aspirations. These values act as a light of inspiration to anyone seeking to serve as a health profession in the future.
Leading the Regionalization Program
Brod Randy served as the chair of the Regionalization Program under three college deans for the last 10 years. He noted that living up to the trust given to him by the college deans is the secret to leading the program. One of the successes of the program, Brod Randy recounted, was producing generalists as well as specialists to serve in different regions in the country, such as interventional cardiologists in Zamboanga and Quezon, and colorectal surgeons in other provinces. Another pivotal result was through the introduction of the summer immersion program, initiated by Brod Jose Castillo Gonzales Φ1969A. It was borne from the initiative of the students with the same goal of serving the Filipinos through volunteerism. It was this initiative that allowed future batches of students to gain clinical experience and learn outside the walls of the classroom. Brod Randy continued this initiative through tapering to the needs of the students and incorporated changes in its selection processes of the program’s applicants.
To the Phi Kappa Mu
To the Most Venerable Fold, Brod Randy reiterated the importance of our pillars. With the Fraternity’s 90th year approaching, he believes that the future of Phi will still be built on excellence. In academics, he points to the direction of achieving excellence in clinical learning through the fields of surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology, among others. In leadership and service, he makes an example of Brod Gerardo Dizon Legaspi Φ1983B through his exemplary handling of the Philippine General Hospital, most especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ensuring the hospital becomes what it is today. For the final pillar of brotherhood, to him it is, “Always caring for someone regardless of religion, race, and socio-economic status among others. Brotherhood is about caring and respecting one another.” He reminded us to always reach out to any of the brods for any problem, to consider them as real brothers, as there will always be a brod to offer a helping hand.
Standing tall as a bastion of the Fraternity’s pillars, Brod Randy leaves us with a handful of advice moving forward. He highlights the importance of opportunities when they come your way. He exclaims, “Always consider yourself. If it will make you a better person, grab it.” He reminds us to stay grounded and to live up to the ideals of our pillars, to shine in all areas of medicine, and to be proud of our fellow brods. Throughout decades of fervent service and grasping the helm of the Regionalization Program, Brod Randy remains a testament of what a Phi can achieve.
