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by Maria Ysabella Dominguez
Dr. Mechael Angelo Marasigan may not sing with all the voices of the mountain nor paint with all the colors of the wind, but he certainly braves the unknown of what’s in store just around the riverbend as he tackles each day with a newfound conviction as a frontliner in the midst of this pandemic.
Starting his journey as a student in Quezon City Science High School, he was the former sports editor of the Electron, as well as the editor in chief of Banyuhay. He graduated from QCSHS Batch ’84, went on to finish his pre-med of BS Psychology at the University of the Philippines Diliman, and later on, he moved to the Far Eastern University of Manila in order to finish his medical studies. He was a post graduate intern at the East Avenue Medical Center, after which he finished his residency of Community and Family Medicine in Quezon City General Hospital in 2001. After working there for four years for his training, he now works at the Quezon City Health Department as a physician for almost 17 years.
With the effects of the pandemic in full swing, he says that work certainly became a lot more difficult compared to how it used to be. From meeting with anywhere from 50 to 80 patients a day in order to conduct consultations, immunizations and provide assistance for family planning, the number of face to face interactions were reduced in order to lessen the chances of spreading the virus. Although the patients he has to see each day have reduced in number, the demands of their work continue to grow more challenging as each day passes. His routine now consists of coordinating with various barangay officials for the sake of contact tracing, conducting swab tests together with his team every Wednesday, and switching from handling two health centers due to a shortage in doctors.
In line with this, he chooses to take precautionary measures whenever he has the luxury of getting back to his loved ones. He mentions that once he arrives home, he immediately takes a shower before getting any closer to any of his family members in order to ensure their safety. Living with people who are high at risk of getting the virus, he makes sure to constantly follow the necessary protocols like wearing a face mask and a face shield, as well as following the rules of social distancing. In addition to this, he says that his faith continues to strengthen his reserve and is primarily one of the things that keeps him going. Although the fear of exposure to COVID-19 looms over his shoulder, he valiantly continues to persevere against its threats in order to fulfill his duties.
According to Dr. Marasigan, the lessons he learned within the four walls of his classroom in Quesci helped him a great deal once he was faced with the trials brought about by college and even the hardships he encounters as a physician. He recalled how his teachers taught them the concept of self-discipline alongside their academic lessons and how he and his classmates learned how to develop the trait through observing one another. This proved to be one of the driving forces that kept him going all throughout medical school and is a trait he carries with him even to this day.
Being a Scientian, he naturally developed a competitive spirit and learned early on that perseverance and determination are the keys to success. Aside from this, he also learned how to become an all-rounder; encouraging himself to excel in matters beyond academics. “I learned not to compete with others, but with myself,” he said when asked about how his experiences in the school currently help him.
Furthermore, he expresses his gratitude towards Quesci for helping him develop his communication skills; allowing him to go an extra mile for his patients. He talks about how he notices the way their eyes seemingly light up whenever he gives them words of encouragement, even if it is only done through a computer screen whenever he does telemedicine. All in all, he says that he could not have pursued his career in public health nor survived medical school had it not been for the lessons he learned in Quesci.
He ended the interview with a message for Scientians saying, “Scientians, you have the discipline. You have the brilliance. Persevere and you can make it through these difficulties”. Above all, he says that faith and the support brought about by those around you are two of the most essential things to hold on to in order to get through these trying times.
He serves as a reminder for everyone that with self-discipline, cooperation and integrity, we can brave this new normal together and tackle what’s waiting just around the river bend head on.