January 29, 2026

And here we are honored to welcome Dr.

Maria Luisa Manga. And we are very

thankful po that you are here with us

today and may kindly ask you to

introduce about yourself and share a

little bit about your professional

background.

>> Okay. My name is Maria Luisa Toralba

Manggubat. I'm an OBGYN.

Um I'm a graduate of UERM.

Huwag na nating pag-usapan yung year.

Um, and I had my residency training

inics and gynecology here. Uh, this used

to be called medical center Manila.

Ngayon may nickname na Manila Med. Uh,

presently I am the chairman of the

department of OBGYN

um and the president of the medical

staff organization. I'm also member of

the management committee of the

hospital.

Ah starting up.

Yan po. Very inspired. Ang dami na pong

narating and hopefully us the near

future we are involved to make our own

steps din po and

>> hopefully po. So moving on po with our

first question. So we will focus more on

the personal approach. So we would like

to know po about your leadership style

and how has it changed throughout your

years of experience?

>> Actually um I've never thought of myself

as a leader because I'm more of like a

um should I say good c-orker ganyan. It

just so happened that nung high school I

was awarded Jerry Rojas leadership award

which was a surprise to me also. And

then the uh uh the mga madre the sisters

there said that the reason why they

chose me is that they see they saw my uh

how I uh interact with my uh members and

then uh of course lead them to

something. So I would guess na uh it

hasn't really changed a lot kasi uh even

now that I'm used to be the head of the

center for Women's Health, we establish

that here. That's a specialty um center

here. Magkakasama roon OB, ultrasound

infertility uh cancer uh

copic detection iyon. Ah the breast

center also and the perinatology.

So I had that vision and I uh uh

suggested that to our chairman at that

time and she like the idea. So parang

ganun yung yung gusto ko eh. So you have

an idea but before you act on it, you

ask muna if if it looks feasible. So

it's more like consultative no I consult

the others before I go ahead and push

through with the project. So that hasn't

changed now that I'm the chairman. Um if

I have uh like I I became the chairman

only in October. So I had to uh of

course review yung structure yung

organization structure ng department and

uh ah then makikita ko the possible

projects and before acting on it I

consult those who are involved.

also as a president of the medical staff

organization ganon din iyung ginagawa

ko. Um I review the past projects and

see if we can uh improve on it uh and

then try to look for new ideas uh and

then consult again the uh those who will

be impacted. So I I have no training in

management or leadership but I guess it

uh it has evolved maybe with kasi nga

ngayon more syempre mas older na ako so

mas ah mas sure na ako of what I want

parang ganyan and but I don't push it.

Titingnan mo muna if it will be for the

good

>> ah feasible and for the good of many

people ganon. Grabe very meticulous po

talaga. So it's really for the better

talaga po. I think more on like parang

democratic po na leadership kasi you are

opo kasi pa you're looking at the you're

getting ideas po and

>> consulting kasi I don't believe yung

yung yung masyado kang diktador ganyan

na I want this and I want this to happen

and kahit napahirapan mo na yung mga tao

kasi you have to be able to

>> move no to be able to adjust no

>> maybe that's because I'm Pisces

ah what ah madali kaming ano baang Pis

dalawang ganyan so you can go both ways

depending on the tides opo to be a good

leader talaga you have to be a good

follower as well opo in fact sa OB yan

ang laging sinasabi sa amin eh because

you start as an assistant no and then

before you become the surgeon uh we were

told na before you become a a good

surgeon you should be a good assistant

kasi alam mo kung anong nangyari

Yes po. So with this po ayun po we would

like to know what leadership skills do

you think is essential and bakit po siya

important? I guess it would be uh first

of all may vision ka and then siguro

adaptability ganon yung as I mentioned

kanina na you should be able to see the

good side and the bad side and try to

weigh

>> uh what will be best. So ah

wala na siguro akong masabi ganon. Opo.

>> Syempre siguro dapat maganda rin ung

convincing power mo para sumunod sila.

Sao opo. You have to build a good

relationship po nga kaso. So with

regards nga po sa adaptability. So may

good and bad side na as you have

mention. So almost always po meron

talagang mga challenges kayong

ma-encounter. So meron po ba kayong

strategies or like are there any ways

that you use po to solve it kapag may

na-enco po kayong challenges? Well, ah

siguro as far as doctors are concerned

syempre medyo medyo matataas ang mga

ego.

So ah mostly yung yung ah

nacha-challenge lang ako is pagka

unreasonable yung mga

issues na bini-bring up. So I before I

ah syempre ayaw mo namang awayin kaagad

kasi kapwa mong doktor yon. Um, I try to

see muna kung ano where he or she is

coming from and then from there um I try

to see where we can meet in the middle

and then

siguro kasi nga um yun nga yung ang

pagiging adoptable ko. So kahit na yung

mga difficult people I am able to talk

to them and then ah yun nga na medyo

nahihimasmasan mo yung galit nila ' ba

dahil ah pinapakita mo na nag-listen ka

that you listen to their opinion and uh

before yung ah coming up with yung ah

idea na hindi mo parang ganyan ba hindi

mo sila pinakinggan. Ito ang gusto ko.

So when they realize that you took into

consideration yung kanilang opinion,

kanilang ideas, then it's much easier to

uh get them to

ah ano listen and Yeah. Yeah. And opo

>> and follow. Mm.

>> Parang ganon. Opo. Kasi it's really

important to know both sides po, not

just one side po with regards.

So um with regards naman po sa patient

side so what do you think po yung

importance po ng um leadership decision

skills ah decision making skills with

regards to the effect of sufficient

outcomes and overall health care po or

qualitative care? Well, uh it has always

been my style to um

explain to the patient what is going on

ano uh why I want this test done kasi

Kasi it's not a joke ano kasi maraming

mga tests and procedures that are so

expensive

>> and uh they might think na super flu mga

yun but no I tell them the importance no

and what I want to find out from the

laboratories I do not just request for

labs or procedures dahil gusto ko lang

ah kasi those labs and procedures will

guide me kung ano yung susunod na

gagawin kasi you No medicine naman is

not straight forward eh. A + B = C ' ba

parang ganyan. Ngayon A + B pwedeng C,

D, E. Maraming marami kang pwedeng

magawa. Ah so um it's important that in

the decision making the patient is aware

uh of uh what are uh what uh should be

done, what cannot be done. Kasi may mga

iba kung ano-ano yung mga sina-suggest.

lalo na this times ang daming TikTok and

social media kung ano-anong sinasabi

doon na minsan hindi mo na maintindihan

kung where those ideas came from. So ah

you should be able to explain to the

patient kung ano yung sa tingin mo ang

tama. Now ah of course there are

patients na medyo matigas ang ulo na

that they will insist on what they want.

So uh I just tell them na this is uh

supposed to be yung decision ko. But if

that's your decision then hindi ko naman

sila kokontrahin. Maybe you can look for

another doctor.

>> Yes. Hindi naman sila

>> who will comply with your

wants oce ganon. Pero chances are uh

when you're able to explain to them

fully kung ano yun and then of course

you also tell them the risks ano the

advantage in the risk kasi gaganyan ang

ano eh ang medicine eh kung minsan nasa

gitna ka talaga hindi mo alam so you

have to tell them both ways that's what

is called informed consent

>> yes oppo before you actually do the

procedure po no true

>> ayun po. With regards naman po sa

universal health care

>> Mhm. What do you think po is

challenge in implementing the universal

healthcare local po? The number one

challenge is the funding. Ano kasi

promise ng Phil Health o babayaran namin

babayaran namin and then millionmilyon

na yung utang nila sa ospital. But uh

well we did uh once siguro sain na lang

natin we were uh during the PO annual

convention Manila Med was actually cited

as one as as the first one to implement

sa universal health care. set up a lying

in clinic that's that's just there in

front sa may Pearl Manila

>> so that those uh who want to avail off

yung ah mas mababa na panganganak and uh

can can go there. We also implemented

the no balance being zero libreng

panganganak for those who are

ph health members tapos uncomplicated

iyung pregnancies nila. So uh and that's

the reason why uh the Philippine OBGY

and Society actually uh cited us sa ano

lang naman sa slidh na o Manila Medo ang

ginawa so why don't you follow parang

something like that. It's nice to know

po yung Manila med parang may action

sila when regards sa ganon na very

proactive po. So regards naman po sa ba

we were we discussed po about

leadership. What about po sa manager

real skills? What do you think po is uh

important in using the manager real

skills with regards to handling the

organization?

Um you should be able to uh delegate

kasi you cannot claim to be the best in

everything. So uh you try to uh identify

people who you think will be best in

this area, in another area. Kunwari ito

sa socials, ito sa academics, no? Ah ito

sa marketing parang ganyan. So um I

guess as a manager you should be able to

do that and not think that ikaw lang ang

magaling sa lahat then that you become a

dictator.

Yeah. I sa tingin ko. You should be able

to identify the skills

>> uh of the people around you, the people

under you. And then ah para mas maganda,

mas master po yung delegation. Opo. Ayan

po. So with regards to everything that

you have mentioned po, um, what do you

think is an important leadership skill

that health care workers should employ

in the future? Naku,

siguro yun din yung you should be able

to ah lead.

Ah but uh

yung ano mo uh don't look down on the

hindi como leader ka ikaw ng best no? So

you should be able to leave them without

making the people uh parang subservient

to you. Parang angano mo lang sa kanila

na yeah ako lang yung feeling leader

ngayon pero one of you can become a

leader someday. Parang bibigyan mo sila

ng ano and and I guess maganda rin yan

na magte-train ka ng susunod sao parang

ano so parang may transfer ah ng ah

anong tawag nito delegation of

responsibilities in preparation for

their leadership role in the future.

So actually that concludes po our

questions. Would you like to say

anything else po? Lalo na sa mga future

health care leaders.

Ang hirap ano kasi um I don't know if if

I should be a model ng ano mga leaders

kasi each of us has their own skills and

uh if you are able to identify that

skill then hone it no and uh yun nga um

I guess uh you should not be uh parang

too

proud no and uh think of yourself

uh above the others. So ah yun siguro

ang gusto kong i-impart na um although

you will become a leader someday ah do

not

parang hwag naman lumaki masyado dito na

ah parang ikaw na ang talagang

pinakamagaling. You should be able to

see the uh ano skills of others also

their strengths also. And ah yun nga

i-home mo sila para ma

next leader kasi you know um parang mga

teachers no? Yes. Pagka may tinuro ka

you teach your students and then when

your student

excels parang pride mo yun eh na ikaw

yung nag ah nag-umpisa or nagturo or

nag-home nung kanilang galit. So I guess

ah for the future parang ganun. Gusto mo

na eventually when they become leaders

ipa-pass on naman nila dun sa younger

generation yung mga natutunan. Ayun.

Thank you so much. Very inspiring again.

So like what Doc mentioned, it's really

important to be humble and to be down to

earth and huwag maging madamot sa

knowledge. You should be able to always

share your knowledge lalo na sa other

health care professionals in the field.

And again, that concludes our MPX

episode today. Thank you so much for

tuning in.