Growing up with a congenital heart condition can be quite challenging. For instance, I've passed…read morethe corporate exams and interviews in many A-list companies only to fail in their physical tests. All the three big companies that I eventually worked for asked for a medical certificate from my old cardiologist and they all imposed certain disclaimers on my employee insurance benefits. Now that I'm older and running my own business, I have no need for medical certificates, besides my old cardiologist had since passed away. However, as I approach my middle age years, I need constant medical monitoring, especially in the matters of my cardiovascular health. In my search for a new cardiologist, I was led to Dr. Andrea Orel Valle. She's an Interventional Pediatric Cardiologist. Essentially, she's a heart doctor for babies and kids. So why is she attending to an old patient like me? Well, that's because I have a congenital heart defect, meaning I have it since birth. A product of the University of the Philippines Intarmed Program, Doc Wawi, as she is fondly called by patients and friends, is a smart young cardiologist. That's why her patients -- including me -- find her cool and very relaxed. She has none of that typically boring clinical semantics when talking to people. But don't let her young looks fool you, she has the real-world experience and international qualifications to boot. Doc Wawi's main clinic is at Room 205 of the Faculty Medical Arts Building (FMAB) in UP-PGH. She's there from Tuesdays to Thursdays at 10:00am until 12:00 noon. Then, also on Saturdays from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

Last year, I headed to The Medical City (my go-to hospital for emergency hospital visits and…read moreroutine check-ups) as I was suffering through a horrible cough. I asked at reception about which doctor was available at the moment as I didn't want to queue for hours on end. Thankfully, Dr. Agno was available to accommodate me. I was comfortable from the moment I entered her office. Dr. Agno is very respectful, polite, kind and knowledgeable. Based on my account, she immediately knew that iIwas suffering from an allergy from the pollutants/elements that were in the air due to New Year's celebrations and my extensive exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke (I'm allergic). She handed me a prescription and I was as good as new in a little under a week. Thank you, Dr. Agno! I hope never to see you again but I would happily refer you to anybody who needs your service.

We found Dr. Maningat when I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes on my second pregnancy. I was…read moreadvised by my OB-Gyne to consult an endocrinologist to control my blood sugar, and our health insurance company referred me to Dr. Patricia Maningat. When I went to my first consultation, I didn't like her for the reason that she instructed me to change my diet (no sugar, boo!) and monitor my blood sugar levels. Now I realized that that was one of the best advices I got regarding my health. My mom (who is a diabetic) also started seeing Dr. Maningat after she accompanied me to one of my checkups and saw how thorough she was with every patient, and how effective her advices were. My mom was having Hypoglycemia at that time because of her diet and medications, but Dr. Maningat helped her overcome that. The drive from our house to St. Luke's takes a minimum of 30 minutes, but we don't mind because we know we get the best medical advice from Dr. Maningat. We have to leave early though to be first in the long list of patients she sees in her clinic.

I've always been a sickly kid, so when I moved to Manila and got exposed to pollution every single…read moreday, my visit to clinics became more and more frequent. I was lucky to have discovered Healthway early on, because they had everything I needed at such a convenient location. A couple years ago, Healthway Manila used to be just inside Robinson's Place along Padre Faura. Now though they moved outside the mall, to the corner of Padre Faura and Jorge Bocobo. I haven't been to their new location yet, but if their service didn't change, then I don't care. I will keep my 5 star rating. They have everything you need here: dentists, opthalmologists, oncologists, all sorts of -ists, ENTs, etcetera. You don't even have to set an appointment. Just walk in, tell them what ails you, and you'll be taken care of. I guarantee it.

Part of the struggle of being a diabetic is finding a doctor that you can trust. Here in Manila,…read moreone of the challenges of finding good Endocrinologists and Diabetologists is finding one who doesn't exclusively hold clinic in some far-flung, commute-inaccessible places, or doesn't exclusively hold clinic during workdays. Imagine my surprise when I found a doctor who is not only capable and competent, but also accessible. Dr. Eveleyn Paraan, at first, became my doctor simply because she has hours in STI Megaclinic, and said hours also fall on a Saturday. I happily went, not really expecting anything other than a sober and clinical handling of my condition, at most maybe a boot camp-styled doctor, making me do calisthenics and sing in cadence while jogging. What I got was a doctor who was all that, except she's more of the "warm bedside manner" doctor than the boot camp-y one. Oh, make no mistake, Dr. Paraan is all no-nonsense Endocrinologist, an obvious master in her field, but she also excitedly asks if you've been maintaining your diet and exercise, and actually visibly deflates when you say you fell off the wagon. Dr. Paraan is less cold doctor, more a confidant and a companion in your journey in diabeetus.

My face looked 3 years younger using Picoway treatment thanks to Dr. Eileen Cubillan!! I will…read moredefinitely be back for more sessions

Dr. Cubillan is practically the clan dermatologist. My cousins and I, and eventually our friends to…read morewhom we have recommended her, go to Dr. Cubillan for their acne and other skin-related check ups. Her green tincture facial wash, clindamycin cream and retinoic acid cream work wonders on acne!

If I were to think of the first word that comes to mind when I think of Dr. Tamondong, I would…read moreright off the bat say "funny". The guy is hilarious! I had just arrived from a winter trip to New York and LA but it was just my luck that I had caught a bug somewhere along the way and was in need of serious medication. Dr. Tamondong diagnosed me with acute trachea-bronchitis and he put me on antibiotics to fight off the bacteria in my body. He was entertaining and made me feel at ease the entire time I was there. Best of all, my bronchitis was gone in a few days. I'm so grateful for doctors.

went to this doctor late february. had a couple of tests: xray showed pneumonia, sputum sample was…read moreclear. tamondong declared TB. went to two other hosrpitals : pneumonia. had to resign from work because of the stigma. people didn't want to go near me coz they really thought I had TB. STUPID DOCTOR.

Hi-Precision is my To Go place whenever I need to do a lab test (blood/Urine). The team is…read more professional and the place is modern and clean. It can get quite packed but they open early so it's good to go then. But the wait is never too long and they are well organized. Furthermore you get the results online and it's fast as well. Their pricing is reasonable.

Efficient, courteous, on time, easy access. As a visiting lab testing service I was very happy.read more

Dr. Hufana was my dad's neurosurgeon…read more I and the family appreciated how he was very patient in explaining my dad's condition and how he planned to remove the tumor from the lower right side of my dad's brain. The five-six hour operation lasted for more than 8 hours and Dr. Hufana came out really, really exhausted, but also told us the good news that he was able to get everything out. More importantly, after my dad's follow-up checkups several months after, and he saw that my dad was recovering as hoped, he remarked, "I can finally take a vacation now that you are on the road to recovery." Something I truly appreciate from a doctor who gives his patients the assurance that he will be there when he is needed.

Weird experience. St. Lukes is hit-or-miss, flip a coin. It seems only the doctors have enough…read moreEnglish skill to communicate effectively. The problem is that they trust their secretaries/nurses (same person) to communicate in texts and in person. The miscommunications are comedic but frustrating. Today, I was happy to get a walk-in consult that my other doctor required before surgery. This cardio clearance" lasted about 5 minutes and was a quick "Do you....? do you.....? do you....?" check 5 boxes and then rush me out the of the oddly small office. I lol actually thought that Dr. Greggy A. Panga was comping me for the consult (as some doctors do at St. Lukes for such short "consults"), so I was preparing to give the nurse/secretary a sizable tip, but then she said, "5,000 pesos." Suddenly her English is sharp lol I had asked her TWICE before I went in about the cost but she somehow couldn't understand and then suddenly waved me into the doctor's tiny office with hundreds of "Stich" (of cartoon "Lilo and Stich") toys covering the one basic bookshelf that took up the whole wall. After getting my free coffee and snack downstairs, I decided to ask the desk staff about the cost. They were kind but couldn't understand me, nor I them (!), as it took about 25 minutes to finally grasp her meaning after I asked her to write the costs on paper. Anyway, the nurse had told the desk staff that they had discounted it for me from 100$ to 75$. Well, they certainly made no mention of that to me in the office nor on my billing sheet. So it was apparently even more ridiculous of a price. Again, there were no prices listed anywhere (or none shown to me despite my asking several times). St. Luke's allows its doctors to charge ANY AMOUNT THEY CHOOSE! So then you're shocked after you've had one reasonable procedure/cost with one doctor only to get charged 4 times more with another doctor. Buyer beware. Check the cost first. Also, this doctor today was rather strange as he avoided looking me in the eye and then rushed through the info and rushed me out despite having no other patients waiting and it was 3:30pm (so I don't think he was late for some golf tee-time). Maybe he was planning on price-gouging me and felt guilty. Hmmm....anyway, sigh, not a good feeling, feeling ripped-off, especially at the premier medical establishment in the Philippines.

I have recently had surgery with a plastic surgeon at St. Lukes. He was highly recommended by a…read moredoctor in the United States. Dr. Eric Arcilla is known for breast aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. I liked that, Dr. Arcilla did fellowships at UCLA in California and Interplast Australia. I was impressed that Dr. Arcilla emailed and texted me regarding my breast specialist and cardiologist appointments. He even sent me reminders regarding them. To make a long story short, the process from beginning to the end of my surgery was commendable. All the registered nurses were very pleasant and attentive. My one night stay at the hospital exceeded my expectations. I was surprised to receive complimentary juice. The complimentary juice was refreshingly delicious. The food was better than most hospital's food. On the day in which I was going to be discharged, there were 3 doctors who came to see how I was doing. Dr. Arcilla came early in the morning. He was then followed by another doctor about an hour later, and he changed the dressing. About an hour after that, there was another doctor who checked the dressing that was changed. I was surprised that Dr. Arcilla sent me a reminder for my follow-up appointment on Easter Sunday regarding my appointment on the following day. I can't believe that he found the time to text me on a holiday. I am very thankful that I was referred to Dr. Eric Arcilla. This is also where I went when I slipped and fell flat onto my face numerous years ago. My relatives highly recommended St. Lukes. This is where they go whenever they have a medical emergency. I understood why they suggested this hospital. I had a cut on my forehead that needed stitches. I had a choice of having a surgeon or plastic surgeon. I chose a plastic surgeon since the cut was on my face. I was told that it might take about an hour for Doctor Gene Gerald Tiongco to arrive, but he was definitely worth waiting for. While I was waiting for Doctor Tiongco to arrive, I noticed that the staff was very concerned regarding how I got the cut. I guess they noticed that my face was bruised, and my left eye looked as though I was hit by someone. Different nurses and doctors kept asking me how I got hurt. I kept telling them that I tripped and fell. I had a good laugh with my husband. I told him that the staff is just waiting to see if I'll tell them that he physically abused me. It was nice to see that the staff was concerned. I would like to let you know that Dr. Tiongco stitched up the cut, and I couldn't even tell where my cut was. I would highly recommend Dr. Eric Arcilla, Dr. Gene Gerald Tiongco and St. Lukes Medical Center.