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IAMRAFI: The Tireless Volunteer
Dr. Benedict P. Valdez, Ramon Aboitiz Awardee
for Exemplary Individual, RAFI Triennial Awards
By Marco Paulo Trajano Deligero | September 4, 2018
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Dr. Valdez, or Doc Ben to his colleagues and patients, won the Ramon Aboitiz Award for Exemplary Individual in the recently concluded RAFI Triennial Awards held at the Grand Ballroom of Bai Hotel, Mandaue City last August 31.
Doc Ben and His Advocacy
Doc Ben was born and raised in Davao City, the youngest of three siblings. He had his share of difficulties growing up, knowing only his father who single-handedly raised them. Thankfully, he was able to pursue his dream of becoming a surgeon. His mission started at the Maharlika Charity Foundation, Inc. where he served as the Director of Missions for 17 years.
In 2009, he started his advocacy where he was able to establish three cleft referral centers — Caraga Regional Hospital, East Visayas Regional and Medical Center, and the Medical Mission Group Hospital and Health Services Cooperative, and mobilized other surgeons to help him perform cleft palate procedures to about 1,500 patients.
“One of my advocacies is helping cleft patients in targeted areas — practically the whole of Mindanao and parts of Visayas, and we have established partner hospitals where the procedures are done, which we call cleft referral centers,”
“Basically, what we are doing in Maharlika Charity Foundation, Inc. are missions; name any province in Mindanao — we’ve been there,” Doc Ben said.
Doc Ben and His Competitive Advantage
Doc Ben considers his focus on ‘life preservation,’ including his response in medical emergencies as his advantage. Aside from his advocacy on helping children with cleft palate, he helped organize the Davao 911 Emergency Medical System (EMS), and was tapped as the consultant for training in the 911 EMS.
“It has always been my mission: to bring the hospital to the people,”
“I was also able to produce an instructional manual entitled ‘Manual of Missions of the Foundation,’ the purpose of which is continuity of the mission — so that whenever I am not around, someone else would know what to do, especially in emergency cases,”
“In addition to that, I was also able to establish centers of referral, so that we would be able to mobilize different missions — weekly in Butuan, and monthly in Midsayap, Cotabato — for various procedures like cleft palate, eye-related problems, hernia, and other medical/surgical concerns,” he added.
In Building Strong Partnerships
Doc Ben also owes the success of their advocacy to their partners all over the world. They have partners in Australia, New Zealand, USA, and parts of Germany, including Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft charity organization.
As the President of the Maharlika Charity Foundation, Inc., Doc Ben leads in the strategic planning of the Foundation to achieve its goal and targets, and with the use of the balanced scorecard, they found out that they need at least two (2) partners per year in order to sustain their operations in the foundation and surgical missions, respectively.
“The challenge we have right now is the selling of nobility and charity among private partners, simply because these surgeons would be doing this for free,”
“The main concern really is where we will be getting the money to fund the cost of these operations. So I called on all my contacts, surgeons in particular, and asked them to join me,” Doc Ben shared.
On Being a Leader and Mentor
Doc Ben invited his fellow doctors in Manila to conduct trainings under his “Emergency Medical Training program,” and for three years now, he already have twenty-two (22) residents training under his supervision.
“Above it all, my greatest passion is helping people, this is how I look at it — sick people, sick country; healthy people, healthy country; healthy families, healthy communities,”
“One of the lessons I learned in life is that if the intention is noble, success is inevitable,”
Doc Ben also said that he wants to replicate himself, which is why he created the training program so he could mobilize medical practitioners, and teach them what they need to know in medical emergencies and apply them.
“How could I replicate it in missions? Through the Manual of Missions,” he said.
On His Success, Charity
“Charity begins with you, and must end with the other person. We are just a ‘vessel of charity,’ we should satisfy the need of the receiving side, the person you are helping, those in dire need of your expertise, so you need to be selfless,” Doc Ben said.
For him, charity is scarce; only few people do it today, and his actions, missions and advocacy are all a declaration of his selflessness.
Doc Ben brought the question to the table, explaining how we should be persons of charity.
“Now, I ask myself, is there really such a thing as charity? Because everybody is paid for something they have done. For example, for a cleft palate operation, yes you may have given that to the patient for free, but someone else paid for that operation,”
“Charity needs action; that is why it has to be implemented by somebody who believes in it,” he said.
From Being the Director of Missions to Becoming the President
For 17 strong years, Doc Ben was the Director of Missions before becoming the President of Maharlika Charity Foundation, Inc.
“Money will just come, but selling charity and nobility is the hardest,”
“That is why the sustainability of any foundation is directly related to the core values of the foundation and how these are seen and understood by the generations to come,” Doc Ben said.
“This is why I ask you, how can you live out the core values of the foundation today and still be consistent 50 years from now?”
“If you invest in integrity and nobility, people will always bank on you, and put their trust in you — that is integrity,” he said.
On His Most Memorable Experience
When asked what his most memorable experience was, Doc Ben shared:
“A patient once told me — Doc, maraming salamat, hindi namin ma-afford ang operasyon pero ibinigay mo ng libre,” (Doc, thank you very much, we cannot afford the operation but you gave it to us for free) — those words alone were good enough for me,”
On Challenges, Detractors
For Doc Ben, “the more you are into charity, the more you are envied,”
“What I want people to know is that it is not easy to be charitable because there are lots of detractors; it is also not easy for a person who believes in charity to do charity for many years,”
“… That is why you have to be focused because charity is the road less traveled, daghang abog (many obstacles) — people have their varying opinions, you are envied, so you should focus!”
On His Brand of People Management
Doc Ben believes that one of the key factors for his success is the way he handles people — his people management.
“Management is managing people. I plan and delegate tasks and I emphasize on the vision and mission of why we are doing this,”
“That is why you have to have your integrity intact because people will assess you — is this person leading me believable? Is his reputation intact? That is why you have to be a person of integrity,” Doc Ben shared.
Doc Ben and His Greatest Life Lessons
Doc Ben answered two things:
“First is perseverance — meaning you have to seriously stretch your patience,”
“Second is charity. There will be lots of detractors but you just have to do what makes you happy, what is helpful to people and never lose your focus!”
To the People That Matter to Him
Doc Ben also shared how supportive his wife Sharon is; he shared one time when he asked his wife ‘Why am I still doing this? We are not receiving any income from this,’
Then his wife answered, “Are you still happy? I am here to continuously support you,”
“That changed everything, it enlightened me, and I am here now, continuing to do charity,” he shared.
On Winning the Ramon Aboitiz Award for Exemplary Individual, RAFI Triennial Awards
“I am very happy!”
“The recognition is about the stigma of kids with facial deformity, and the importance of free hospital care in our country — this must be addressed and institutionalized,”
“It was a stiff competition! And I never thought I’ll get the exemplary individual category award,”
“I am thankful to God and to the institutions that I represent, and to the patients — where the trust and confidence is unceasing, daghang salamat!” #IAMRAFI
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