First Filipino Women Physicians
By Anna Liza R. Ong, MD

Today, if you look at the roster of medical students, you’ll be surprised to find more women than men. But this has not been always so.

The American Occupation and Women’s Rights

When we were under the Spaniards, women were not allowed to obtain an education. It would only be as late as 1932 when the first Filipino women students were accepted in the Spanish University, namely the University of Santo Tomas. In 1932, the Holy Father granted the University permission to accept women.

Therefore, one of the benefits of the American occupation (which started in 1898) was the greater freedom it afforded Filipino women, especially in the field of medicine and nursing. As early as 1903, the Americans were sending our women to the States on government paid scholarships. Then in 1909, they founded the Philippine Normal School, a nursing school which was open to both men and women.

With Filipino women’s suffrage in 1916, the American era elevated the position of Filipino women. By 1930, women comprised 25% of the 404 enrolled medical students at the U.P. College of Medicine as compared to none yet for U.S.T.

From these early beginnings did our country produce its first women doctors.

1. Dr. Honoria Acosta-Sison

Interestingly, our first lady doctor did not graduate from the Philippines but from a Pennsylvania medical school. Going against traditional Filipino culture, Honoria Acosta-Sison applied for a government scholarship as a pensionado in 1903.

She took her preparatory course at the Drexel Institute and Brown Preparatory School, then took her Doctor of Medicine degree at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. She possessed a strong will and even extended her study to get residency training at the Maternity Hospital in the same institution.

U.P. Professor Dr. Narciso Cordero, in his book To While Away the Hours, writes about Dr. Acosta-Sison:

She is the first Filipino woman physician, first Filipino woman graduate of an American Medical School, first Filipino woman obstetrician, and many other "firsts." To all these she reacts with her characteristic modesty, "Why all the fuss? Do you get excited simply because the fellow you have just met happens to be the first born in the family?"

In addition, Dr. Acosta-Sison also published one of the very first researches at the Philippine Journal of Science. Reading through her studies on obstetrics and gynecology, it is obvious that the quality of her work was comparable to any of her male peers. Clearly, Dr. Honoria Acosta-Sison was a unique and humble achiever.

2. Dr. Olivia Salamanca (1889-1913)

The second Filipina woman doctor, Dr. Olivia Salamanca, followed in her predecessor’s footsteps and also graduated at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. We must remember that the U.P. College of Medicine was still in the building stages in the early 1900’s.

Dr. Olivia Salamanca led a bright but short life. The great musician Juan Felipe, perhaps smitten by her, wrote a musical piece entitled "Olivia Salamanca." We could find little information about Olivia, only that she fell victim from tuberculosis and died at age 24.

Today, a stone’s throw away from the Medical Center Manila, at the intersection of Taft Avenue and T.M. Kalaw, you can find the Olivia Salamanca Park.

3. Dr. Maria Paz Mendoza-Guazon

Until now, there are still some who mistakenly claim that Dr. Maria Paz Mendoz-Guazon was the first lady doctor of the country. This confusion perhaps arose from her plaque stating that she is the first woman graduate of the U.P. College of Medicine in 1912. Therefore, she must be the first.

It is true that she is the first woman graduate of U.P., but Dr. Acosta-Sison and Dr. Salamanca had graduated earlier at an American medical school. Nevertheless, Dr. Mendoza-Guazon excelled in her researches in pathology and is known for her philanthropic work. She also had the then famous U.P. Guazon Hall named after her.

To lay the confusion to rest and as a fitting footnote, the Philippine Postal Service had commemorated the first three lady doctors of the country, in the following order: Dr. Honoria Acosta-Sison, Dr. Olivia Salamanca and Dr. Maria Paz Mendoza-Guazon.