Koronadal City honors 1st Blaan medical doctor

“Never stop dreaming. Never stop believing. Never give up. Never stop trying and never stop learning.”

This is Jennie Q. Magaling’s message to fellow Blaan youth who witnessed a ceremony where the city government of Korondal honored her as the city’s first Blaan physician.

During the city’s 9th IP Day celebration on January 9, Koronadal City Mayor Eliordo Ogena, along with Vice Mayor Erlinda Araquil, handed over to Magaling a resolution recently passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) to commend her achievement.

Hundreds of fellow Blaans from the city’s 12 IP barangays, along with National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Regional Director Adolf Ryan Lantion and Koronadal’s Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative Antonio Abing, witnessed the ceremony.

The resolution noted that Dr. Magaling, a member of the Blaan tribe and a resident of Barangay Assumption, “has achieved a historic milestone as the first Blaan from Koronadal City to successfully pass the Physician Licensure Examination, marking a significant accomplishment for both her community and the city.”

Magaling completed her Doctor of Medicine at the Davao Medical School Foundation, Inc. in 2022 as a scholar of the Catholic Mission to the Indigenous Peoples (CMIP), a religious organization under the Diocese of Marbel.

“Her achievement has brought immense pride and inspiration to the entire indigenous people community in the City of Koronadal, serving as a beacon of hope and motivation for your individuals aspiring to pursue higher education and professional success,” the resolution further states.

Magaling also shared her and her family’s journey to achieve her dreams, from elementary school to college, recalling how she struggled with scholarships and nearly quit college due to fear of not meeting the requirements of the scholarship program.

But she recounted that despite several failures, hurts, and temptations to give up, her indestructible spirit and faith had kept her going.

Speaking in Hiligaynon, she told young Blaans in attendance, “Let’s continue dreaming big. Let us not think that we are poor and that our parents cannot afford to send us to school.” 

“Instead, let us grab every opportunity, such as scholarships, being offered to indigents like us,” she added.

Since her graduation from medical school, Magaling has been volunteering in medical missions to remote villages, inhabited mostly by IPs.

She expressed the hope and eagerness to begin residency soon. (DED-PIA Region 12)

In other News
Tags: Header2
Skip to content