March 19, 2025
Tzu Chi Foundation inks MOA with Philippine Orthopedic Center
By Joy Rojas
The signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Tzu Chi Foundation and the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC) last March 10 at the café of Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila, formalized the longstanding partnership between the humanitarian organization and the hospital that specializes in treating and rehabilitating musculoskeletal disorders.
“When I joined Tzu Chi 28 years ago, we were already giving free medicines to POC’s indigent patients on a weekly basis,” said Tzu Chi Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez in his welcome remarks. Difficult times didn’t stop Tzu Chi from extending compassion and relief to POC. In the pandemic, when strict lockdowns limited travel, Tzu Chi volunteers continued to supply the hospital’s healthcare workers with personal protective equipment, face masks, and gloves.
Acknowledging Dr. Eugene Dy, POC’s former head of radiology, as instrumental in fostering the relationship between Tzu Chi and POC, Yuñez said, “Through this MOA we have already committed to seal our mutual shared goals and aspirations to help more patients.”
In the Philippines, orthopedic procedures and implants can set a patient back by hundreds of thousands of pesos, if not millions. This forces the financially challenged to incur huge debts or delay much-needed surgery as they scrounge for funds.
“This partnership reaffirms our shared missions to serve, strengthen, and improve access to health care, and to reduce the economic burdens faced by so many indigent patients in our country,” said Tzu Chi Philippines Deputy CEO Woon Ng. “We have witnessed the resiliency of patients, the dedication of [POC’s] medical professionals, and the transformative impact that medical intervention can bring to them.”
Dr. Jose Brittanio Pujalte Jr., POC’s medical center chief II, called the symbolic signing “a tremendous moment for our hospital. Even without this formalization of partnership, we can still work together because we have a common vision of helping the indigent patients of the hospital. We look forward to being together for many more years to come.”
Numerous success stories have resulted from the decades-long partnership. Among them is Diana Mae Baculio Matos, who underwent surgery for her severe juvenile idiopathic scoliosis on October 6, 2024. Now 20, she experienced the effects of the abnormal curvature of her spine all her life, from chronic discomfort to constant bullying.
To purchase the P570,000 metal implant needed for her surgery, she approached politicians and government agencies for financial assistance. The few guarantee letters she received left her hopeless—until one agency in POC referred her to the Tzu Chi Foundation. Upon assessment, she was deemed fit for surgery, and nearly a year later, continues to feel the care and concern of her benefactors. “To this day, Tzu Chi volunteers still greet me. It was not only after my surgery, but until now, they still ask how I am,” she says. “Thank you to Tzu Chi and everyone who helped me.”
It's been three years since her husband Christian David Delmonte underwent surgery for his fractured left midshaft femur at POC. But Myrelle Espinosa can’t help but weep each time she recalls the events that led to his treatment.
Delmonte was fixing the roof of their home in 2021 when he fell. At the POC, where he was confined for three months, he was told that his fracture could be fixed with an intramedullary femur nail with a locking screw—a procedure that uses an implant worth P50,000. The amount was well beyond their reach: Delmonte lost his job as a delivery rider, and Espinosa sells snacks and drinks.
Through a referral from POC to Tzu Chi, Delmonte can walk and work again, thanks to surgery in March 2022. “My only prayer then was, ‘Lord, give us hope and a blessing that could help us,’” said an emotional Espinosa at the MOA signing. “Through my prayer, I met the Tzu Chi Foundation and we were able to overcome our challenges. Thank you, Tzu Chi Foundation. We owe our lives to you and Master Cheng Yen.”
(From left) Tzu Chi Philippines Deputy CEO Woon Ng, Tzu Chi Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez, Philippines Orthopedic Center (POC) Medical Center Chief II Dr. Jose Brittanio Pujalte Jr., and POC Head of Medical Social Work Department Felicitas T. Zafranco, RSW, show signed MOAs between the humanitarian organization and hospital.
Representatives from Tzu Chi Foundation and the Philippine Orthopedic Center gather for a group shot following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement.
Tzu Chi Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez (left) presents Philippines Orthopedic Center Medical Center Chief II Dr. Jose Brittanio Pujalte Jr. with a copy of “The Power of Compassion,” a book compiling Tzu Chi’s achievements in the last five years leading up to its 30th year in the Philippines.
Philippines Orthopedic Center Medical Center Chief II Dr. Jose Brittanio Pujalte Jr. recalls how Tzu Chi Foundation supplied POC with personal protective equipment, face masks, and gloves during the pandemic. “This is a tremendous moment for our hospital,” he said of the MOA signing. “Even without this formalization of partnership, we can still work together because we have a common vision of helping the indigent patients of the hospital.”
According to Tzu Chi Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez, the foundation was already supplying medicines to Philippine Orthopedic Center’s indigent patients when he joined Tzu Chi 28 years ago. “Through this MOA we have already committed to seal our mutual shared goals and aspirations to help more patients,” he said.
“This partnership reaffirms our shared missions to serve, strengthen, and improve access to health care, and to reduce the economic burdens faced by so many indigent patients in our country,” said Tzu Chi Philippines Deputy CEO Woon Ng.
Representing her husband Christian David Delmonte, who can walk again, thanks to surgery facilitated by Tzu Chi Foundation and the Philippine Orthopedic Center, Myrelle Espinosa prayed for hope and a blessing. “Through my prayer, I met the Tzu Chi Foundation and we were able to overcome our challenges,” she said.
Based in Misamis Oriental, Diana Mae Baculio Matos sent a video thanking Tzu Chi Foundation and the Philippine Orthopedic Center for helping her get surgery to correct her severe juvenile idiopathic scoliosis.
Tzu Chi volunteers and officers from the Philippine Orthopedic Center enjoy a convivial get-together at the Tzu Chi café before the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement.