About Us

PHILIPPINE SOCIETY OF PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

VISION
To be the premier society of Pediatric Cardiologists, recognized locally and internationally committed to providing excellent healthcare to children with heart disease

MISSION
To achieve our VISION, the Philippine Society of Pediatric Cardiology will promote optimum cardiovascular care through professional membership enhancement, continuing medical educational and research, advocacy programs and linkages with concerned organizations for the purpose of the prevention of and management of heart diseases, realizing that each FILIPINO CHILD deserves the BEST.

PHILIPPINE SOCIETY OF PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY OFFICERS 2023 – 2024

HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINE SOCIETY OF PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY
by Ma. Rhodora  R. Garcia – de Leon, MD and Ninfa J. Villanueva, MD 

April 30, 1992 saw the birth and the beginning of the Philippine Society of Pediatric Cardiology (PSPC).  It was formally organized at the Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel by a group of 17 pediatric cardiologists spirited into being by its founding president Dr. Wilberto L. Lopez, together with Dr. Luis M. Mabilangan and Dr. Asuncion A. Reloza. These three prominent pediatric cardiologists saw the need to form a group that would give identity to the growing number of pediatric cardiologists in the country, to represent their concerns and interests both locally and in the different international communities.

The organizational meeting was spearheaded by then current members of the Specialty Board of Pediatric Cardiology:  Drs. WL Lopez, LM Mabilangan and AA Reloza together with the other pediatric cardiologists present represented the charter members of the PSPC namely:  Drs. Edgardo E. Ortiz, Teofilo C. Cantre, Concepcion Uy-Santos, Ma. Lourdes SR. Casas, Fay L. Chua, Mignon S. Peňafiel, Ofelia P. Borje, Ma. Rhodora Garcia-de Leon, Emerenciana Cruz-Collado, Aurora S. Gamponia, Olympia Q. Malanyaon, Corazon A. Estevanez and Eduardo P. Manrique.

Elected as the first set of officers were Drs. WL Lopez (President), LM Mabilangan (Vice – President), AA Reloza (Secretary), EP Ortiz (Treasurer) and Directors (Drs. TC Cantre, CUy-Santos, MSR Casas FL Chua and MS Peňafiel).  The officers were given a term of two years in office.  It was voted and resolved that the PSPC shall be under the umbrella of the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) and the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS).   During the First Postgraduate Course held in October 29, 1992 at the Philippine Heart Center, the first set of officers were formally inducted into office together with the first batch of regular members, 16 associate members and 8 affiliate members.

Through the years since its organization in 1992, the Philippine Society of Pediatric Cardiology has conducted annually postgraduate courses or symposia on pediatric cardiology topics for the benefit of the general practitioners, residents in training, nurses and other allied professionals.  It has involved the members in many outreach programs in cities and far-flung provinces like La Union, Baguio, Batangas, Zambales, Naga, Iloilo, Dumaguete, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga and others.  A number of medical missions and cardiac clinics were held during some of those provincial outreach programs.  It has worked collaboratively with national organizations such as the Philippine Heart Association, Philippine Foundation for Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease, Philippine Society of Echocardiography and the Philippine Society of Cardiac Catheterization, Inc.

Dr. Wilberto L. Lopez during his term in 1992 – 1994 initiated the program “Adopt a Regional Hospital” where we started with Iba Provincial Hospital in Zambales.

In 1994 – 1996, Dr. Luis M. Mabilangan advocated holding of lay fora and lectures for midwives and barangay health workers particularly on rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD), in regularly participating and attending international cardiac symposia and conferences in the Asia – Pacific region, the United States as well as in Europe, to keep abreast with current trends in pediatric cardiac care, diagnosis, treatment, new interventions for the benefit of our pediatric cardiac patients.

It was during the term of Dr. Asuncion A. Reloza in 1996-1998 that the PSPC made its presence felt and recognized by our international counterparts with the PSPC- The Heart Institute of Chicago (THIC) International Symposium in February 1998 in Manila headed by Dr. Rene Arcilla.

Similarly, during the term of Dr. Edgardo Ortiz (1998 -2000), the PSPC hosted the First World Forum in Pediatric Cardiology in Manila headed by Dr. Jane Somerville from the United Kingdom.  Algorithms on the different congenital heart defects were initially formulated during the term of Dr. Ortiz.

Dr. Teofilo C. Cantre during his term of office in 2000 – 2002, envisioned putting up of a Heart Museum in coordination with the Philippine Heart Center, to house and preserve rare and interesting specimens of congenital heart defects (CHD).  He also initiated the pediatric cardiology registry and the PSPC website.

The First Postgraduate Course on Critical Cardiopulmonary Care was held during the term of Ma. Lourdes SR. Casas (2002 – 2004) in cooperation with the Philippine Foundation for Lung Health, Research and Development, Inc. then headed by Dr. Milagros Bautista.  Several outreach activities for screening of RF/ RHD and CHD cases among school children were held in the Ilocos and La Union provinces, this in coordination with the Foundation of RF/RHD.  Clinical practice guidelines for pediatric cardiac conditions (CHD and RHD) were also laid out in compliance with the PPS initiatives.

During the term of Dr. Ma. Rhodora Garcia-de Leon (2004 -2006), a couple of team building seminars were held in an effort to strengthen commitments and camaderie among members of the society.   During a seminar in April 9 – 10, 2005, the present PSPC mission and vision statements were formulated.   Dr. de Leon initiated holding of regular roundtable discussions (RTDs) for the benefit and updates of members.  Likewise, she revived the PSPC Newsletter in 2006 with herself taking on the responsibility as Editor-in-Chief which she continued on for the next six years.  In September 18 – 22, 2005, a good number of PSPC delegates participated in the 4^th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (WCPCCS) in Buenos Aires, Argentina where the PSPC was also invited to be a country member in the Asia-Pacific Pediatric Cardiac Society (APPCS).  PSPC Past President Dr. Ortiz was himself  a congress speaker and was the outgoing president of the APPCS.  Another first during her term was organizing the PSPC Biennial Convention, the first being held in May 28 – 29, 2006 at the Century Park Hotel with then VP Dr. Della Pelaez as Over-all Chair.  The PSPC continued to take active participation in national conventions and organizations like the PHA and the PPS.  It was assigned to conduct annually in February the PPS Heart Month scientific meetings as well as conducting sessions on Pediatric Cardiology during the PHA Annual Conventions.

During the term of Dr. Della Gonzalez-Pelaez (2006 – 2008), the PSPC Constitution and by-laws were finally ratified.  Efforts to come up with relative unit values (RUVs) for the different cardiac procedures were formulated.  She continued to conduct our regular roundtable discussions and continued to organize the 2^nd PSPC Biennial Convention in May 25-27, 2008.  Dr. Pelaez led the PSPC delegation which attended the 1^st APPCS  in October 31 – November 1, 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand.  It was in February 2007 that Camp Braveheart was spearheaded jointly by the PHA Council on CHD in cooperation with the PSPC and the Children’s Heart Foundation, with Dr. Juliet Balderas as Chair.  This later became a regular annual activity designed for children with heart disease, both for children operated on or corrected and those uncorrected.  Dr. Jane C. Burns , a Kawasaki Disease expert, delivered a lecture on Kawasaki Disease in 2007.

Dr. Aurora S. Gamponia took helm of the society in 2008 -2010.  She initiated holding of Strategic Planning Workshop for PSPC members; made collaborative efforts to initiate a Kawasaki Disease registry nationwide.  In 2008, she conducted Children’s Heart Disease Awareness campaign in Laguna.  Likewise, a postgraduate course was held on “The Critically-ill Child: From ER to ICU” in May 2009 and the 3^rd Biennial PSPC Convention was held in May 24 -25, 2010 with the theme “The Adolescent Young Adult with Heart Disease- Towards a Brighter Future”.  Dr. Gamponia headed the PSPC delegation to Cairns, Australia in June 2009, the 5^th WCPCCS as well as the 2^nd Congress of the APPCS in Jeju Island, Korea.  Finally finding a more permanent PSPC office came to be realized during the term, when PPS invite subspecialty societies to build their offices in the new PPS building on Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City.

Dr. Aurelia G. Leus was the 10^th PSPC president (2010 – 2012). A Strategic Planning was held in September 2, 2010 where brainstorming sessions were made to bolster plans and programs for the society.  True to the society’s goal to keep abreast with current trends in pediatric cardiology by way of participation in international for a, Dr. Leus led some PSPC members to several international conventions namely, the 3^rd Congress of the APPCS in Tokyo, Japan (July 2010), the International Symposium on Kawasaki Disease in Kyoto, Japan (February 2012) and  the 3^rd ASEAN Pediatric Cardiac Forum (APCF) in Jakarta, Indonesia (March 2011) and the 4^th APPCS in Taipei, Taiwan (April 2012).  The 4^th PSPC Biennial Convention with the theme: “All For the Heart of the Filipino Child” coincided with the 20th  year anniversary of the society.  The PSPC Hymn,  composed by Past President Dr. RG-de Leon and arranged into music by Dr. Jorge A. Sison, was launched during the celebration.

During Dr. Magdalena Lagamayo’s  presidency from 2012 to 2014, there were 2 Round Table Discussions held: “Perspective in Postoperative Care of Congenital Heart Disease” with Dr. Terence Lim from National University Heart Center  of Singapore as the guest speaker (October 29, 2013) and “Ambulatory BP Monitoring” with Dr. Elaine Urbina as guest speaker (February 2014).  Dr. Lagamayo headed the PSPC delegation  to Taipei, Taiwan  in 2012 for the 4^th APPCS Congress and to Cape Town, South Africa in 2014 for the 6^th WCPCCS.  In the 4^th APPCS, Drs. A. Leus and Dr. Lynn Lagamayo were invited as speakers. The Postgraduate Course on “Ambulatory Pediatric Cardiology in Practice: Issues and Challenges” was held on May 27-28, 2013.  The 5^th Biennial Convention with the theme “Pediatric Cardiology: Current Practices and Beyond” was held on May 26-27, 2014 at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.

Dr. Eden Latosa served her term as President from 2014 to 2016. She pursued the development of learning modules on topics such as Heart Failure, Cyanosis, Chest Pain, and Bedside Cardiology that can be of help for non-Pediatric Cardiology practitioners in their daily practice. The Postgraduate Course on “Throwback Issues and Trending Modalities” Heart Disease in Children and Young Adults back to back with PHA RF-RHD Mission ASAP Preconvention and Clinical Pathways on Control, Prevention and Treatment was held at EDSA Plaza on May 25 and 26, 2015. The 6^th Biennial Convention was held at Novotel , Araneta Center on May 23 and 24, 2016 with the theme: “Cardiac Connections, the Heart and its Interaction with other Organ Systems”. The Constitution and By Laws of our Society was also amended during the term of Dr. Latosa  with special mention to the great efforts of Dr. Della Pelaez who made it possible. The Society was also regularly invited to speak in Lay Fora especially during the Heart Month.

DR. MA. CORAZON ESTEVANEZ (2016 – 2018) was the President during the society’s 25th Silver Anniversary. During her term, there were several round-table discussions and the society finally had its own official website www.pspc1992.com. She led the PSPC delegates to the 6th Asia Pacific Pediatric Cardiology Congress in Shanghai, China in October2016 and the 7th World Congress in Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (WCPCCS) in Barcelona, Spain in July 2017. The Past Presidents of the society were honored in the opening ceremonies of the annual meeting and postgraduate course (Surviving CHD: The Grown-up Congenital Heart-Uncorrected, Repaired and Moving On) chaired by Vice –President Dr. Ma. Bernadette A. Azcueta in May 2017. In May 2018, the 7th PSPC Biennial Course (The Heart of the Matter: Common and Uncommon Symptoms of Heart Disease in Children) was chaired by Secretary Dr. Ninfa J. Villanueva with Past President Dr. Ma. Rhodora Doris de Leon as the Dr. Evelyn Singian Memorial Lecturer. Likewise, during her term, the society ventured on a fundraising project: PETA’s Tagu-taguan, Nasaan ang Buwan?

DR. NINFA JOSON-VILLANUEVA (2018-2020) is the 14th PSPC President and for the first time, the society had a president not based in Metro Manila, she being based in Davao City. She and her Board served for 2 years and 5 months due to the COVID pandemic.

During her inaugural address, she emphasized the thrust of “REACHING OUT” to all members and the need for unity and solidarity among members. The PSPC launched outreach continuing medical education (CME) courses, the “Pedia Cardio On Wheels” (PCOW) in Davao City (February 2019), Cebu City (August 2019) and Butuan City (January 2020) with local PSPC members and Board as speakers. Likewise, pediatric cardiac patients were treated to a “Heart Kids Camp” (February 2019) in Malagos, Davao City. Proceeds from the successful fundraising activities such as showbuys of PETA plays “Rak of Aegis” (August 2018 ) and “Tagu-taguan, nasaan ang Buwan” (November 2019) enabled the society to have the “Mend-a-Kid’s Heart” Project wherein donations were given for cardiac surgeries of indigent pediatric patients in UP-PGH, Southern Philippines Medical Center (Davao), and Vicente Sotto Medical Center (Cebu). Likewise, the society gave donations to flood victims in Bicol (December 2018), earthquake victims in Mindanao (December 2019) and victims of Taal Volcano’s eruption (January 2020).

In May 2019, the society conducted the postgraduate course “Spectrum of 911: Neonates to Young Adults” at the Century Park Hotel Manila. Likewise, there were several roundtable discussions for the members from August 2018 to November 2019.

The society also participated in research activities such as the 2020 Evidence-based Update on the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) for the Management of Dyslipidemia in the Philippines and the 2020 CPG for the Management of Hypertension in the Philippines.

During the pandemic, the society conducted thirteen (13) webinars on a wide-range of pediatric cardiology topics such as interim guidelines in echocardiography and cardiac catheterization to Kawasaki Disease and the Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) such that the PSPC was recognized nationwide for its CME activities. Likewise, the BOD worked on the amendments to the society’s Bylaws and Rules and Regulations.

She led the PSPC members who attended the 7th Congress of the Asia Pacific Pediatric Cardiac Society (APPCS) in Bali, Indonesia (August 30 – September 1, 2018) and subsequently , the PSPC won the bid to host the APPCS Congress in 2022 – the much- awaited chance of the society to be known internationally as a leading society in Pediatric Cardiology.

DR. MARIA BERNADETTE A. AZCUETA (2020 – 2022) is the 15th President of the society and was inducted last October 30, 2020.