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DISI YAP-ALBA
VERSATILITY AS DEFINED BY A MEDICAL DIRECTOR
By Loy Palapos

The “New” Englewood Hospital was opened to the public yesterday, March 5, with the “Who’s-Who” of Tagbilaran City and Bohol Province in attendance. Established on January 2, 1976, and after over three decades of uninterrupted “Service and Compassion Close to Home”, the 75-bed hospital has the latest gadgets in medical care: automated equipment for the laboratory, intensive care unit and operating room; piped-in system of oxygen and suction, including new ultra-sound and x-ray machines; 24-hour pharmacy service; integrated computerized system on a full Wifi Zone status; air-conditioned suite area with TV set, telephone, microwave oven, refrigerator, LCD, and other modern amenities.

Managed by Dr. Disi Yap-Alba as the Medical Director, she is joined by her sister (co-owner), Dr. Lucy Yap-Evangelista, who flew in from USA for the inauguration yesterday. Dr. Evangelista is the eldest in the family of three Doctors.

Dr. Disi Yap-Alba is a real artist in the world of medical care. She can act, sing, and dance. A champion sports buff she is into marathon, golf, tennis, bowling, and other sports. Disi once wanted to be an educator, for which reason she took up a Bachelor’s degree in Education at St. James College, finishing the course as Magna Cum Laude. She proceeded to the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School for her Master of Arts in Education, which she completed in 1972, only to realize she had a different calling. The following year she enrolled at UST for a medical course and finished Doctor of Medicine in 1977. She took the Board Examination and passed it with flying colors in 1978. She is a Certified Family Physician, married to another medical practitioner, Dr. Rey C. Alba, a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, now based in USA.

Rey and Disi are blessed with five intelligent children, all trained to be a part of Englewood Hospital. Director RD Alba, is a graduate of Master of Fine Arts in Film Directing, now based in Hollywood. An artist of the first magnitude, he takes care of the Hospital’s aesthetics, most particularly the interior design of the entire building and offices. Lucy Margret is a graduate at Up Dilliman with a degree in Bachelor of Arts, major in Art Sciences and is now working as Curator at San Diego Museum, USA. Dr. Disirae Alba-Ang, finished her medical course at Southwestern University, Cebu and she’s in America undergoing training and massive exposures to the modern trends in medicine, after which she will be back to give a hand in the health care of Boholanos. Carlo Niño is a Software Engineer and graduated at Informatics, Cebu. The youngest son handles the Information Technology Department of the hospital. The youngest is Julia, who is a graduate of BS Biology, is now in her junior year in Medicine at the University of Santo Tomas.

Dr. Disi Alba has her hands full as CEO and Hospital Administrator of Englewood Hospital; yet she still finds time to manage Captain Rupert Luzon Memorial Hospital in Duero, and Bohol Technical Institute. She is also the Regional Director for Visayas of the Academy of Family Physicians, President of the Tagbilaran Women’s Council, Director of the Bohol Sandugo Foundation, and Director of PAFP-Bohol Chapter. She is the Retainer Physician of BOHECO, Life member of PMA (Philippine Medical Association) and Bohol Medical Society, and member of PCOM-Cebu Chapter, and Bohol Health Foundation.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. In the case of Disi, she is not just a beauty herself, but she finds fulfillment in being involved in beauty pageants. She was officially designated Talent Scout for BB. Pilipinas International (1990-2000), was a committee member in the search for Miss Alabama-Philippines (2000), Miss Bohol Sandugo (1994-2000), Miss Bohol International (1999), Chairman for Miss Bohol Sandugo (1990-1993), Miss Duero (1993), and Miss Manila Speech Clinic. She has chaired in various beauty contests: Miss HNU, Miss Carmen, Miss Siquijor, Miss Antequera, Miss Tagbilaran, Miss Gay Mandaue, and Miss Toronto-Bohol (Canada). Until today she is an acknowledged connoisseur of beauty and talent, being an epitome of both.

Disi always has compassion for people even at a very early age. She got this trait from her father, Simplicio “Mitiong” Yap, who was well-known for his soft heart for the needy, by helping intelligent but poor students go to school through scholarship grants, helping patients who have no money, and giving medicines, especially antihypertensive drugs.

She is also a sports enthusiast since her high school years when, despite her frail body framework, she played volleyball and softball. But it was in bowling that she excelled, having displayed her prowess at the former K of C bowling lanes. She became a queen bowler in the Manila Inter-Hospital Bowling Tournament when she was an intern at the Veteran’s Memorial Hospital Center. When she came back to Bohol, already a Doctor by profession, she continued to dominate various bowling tournaments.

Another favorite sport of Dr. Alba is tennis. She organized the first Ladies Tennis Club in Bohol, the Tagbilaran Ladies Tennis Club. Marathon is her other passion. It was something new to her when she joined the Academy of Family Physicians. She trained for competitiveness and won second place in her first try, and was Champion in the next years successively. Golf is her latest interest, but only occasionally does she go to the golf range, for she shuns the sun.

The Doctor practices what she preaches. She believes a healthy body is needed to augment the brain that is only she maintains her weight by going to the gym. She also jogs regularly, and performs other exercises.

For her, life is too short and everybody should do something to help others. Enriching oneself is not the key to happiness; it’s making others happy by helping them. She has a number of charitable projects and involved in many charitable institutions geared towards helping others in need, although these are not publicly known.

In her desire to help Bohol, she took the risk of putting up “Kapalaran,” a tele-series that revolutionized Visayan TV productions, which used to be slapstick and oftentimes stupid. Through the tele-novela, which was aired worldwide through TFC (The Filipino Channel), she projected Bohol and the Boholanos to augment the tourism potentials of the province, for it showcased the various scenic attractions of the locality. She is the only Boholana who tapped the talents of nationally known thespians, like Cesar Montano, Joel Torre, Gloria Sevilla, Rommel Montano, Gino Antonio, Maryo de los Reyes, and many others, to perform in her production outfit, megged by her son RD.

Disi must have inherited her artistic and administrative talents from her forebears. Her father was a popular businessman who wanted to help blue-collar workers. He put up the Bohol Technical Institute and St. James College. She must have inherited the leadership potentials of her grandfather, who was once the Mayor of Duero, and her social skills from her mother, Dionisia Luzon. Her only sister, Dr. Lucy Evangelista (the co-owner of the Englewood Hospital), is based in Salisbury, Maryland, USA. Aside from being a top-notch Doctor, she has immersed herself in executive work, in preparation for a hands-on involvement with the Hospital. Their only brother Dr. Simplicio Yap, Jr. is a well-known businessman and medical practitioner.

The world is getting smaller everyday. Her constant travels bring her to USA and other countries. But for her, there is no country like the Philippines, which she has explored from Batanes to Jolo; and there’s no place like Bohol.

Dr. Disi Yap-Alba believes in fate (Kapalaran), to be content with what one has, but she should never stop working hard to improve herself and her life. She excels in almost everything she gets into – a good dancer, singer, actress, administrator, doctor, athlete, a friend…name it, she can do it. Through her multi-talents she is versatility defined.

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