« Reply #7267 on: February 08, 2015, 12:46:49 AM »
By Fiel Angeli E. Araoarao – Gabin
Her guiding principle: “Life is what we make it. Not the golden rule, but it’s what my parents used to tell me, and this line has
always been my inspiration, so as not to bargain better for good, nor settle with better if I could have the best. Ambitions are for free and the sky is the limit. Nothing comes from nothing. We have to set our goals and give our best to achieve them. We shouldn’t forget to wrap all our efforts with prayers because it is He who ultimately makes things happen.”
She was the pretty, lithe, fair-complexioned (must I say naïve? or demure?) young lady when Sir Oscar B. Real, Ma’am Minnie Villamor - del Rosario, Bohol National High School (BNHS) faculty members, and myself were the judges in the elimination round of the Miss Alturas Campus Personality held at the residence of Sir Marlito Uy (Alturas Group of Companies’ general manager) in Booy way back 1992. Vanessa Joyce “Bambi” Matuod Evardone, the fifth child (in the brood of seven) of Francisco M. Evardone, retired DILG Provincial Director, and Hospicia C. Matuod, who’s Master Teacher II and OIC-school principal of Manga Elementary School, is indisputably one of the pride of Manga District, Tagbilaran and the entire province, as well. How she “gracefully” made her way to the ladder of success is truly inspiring, something worthy of emulation, but for sure, nobody can measure up to her feat. Well, not in the next 25 or 50 years, I believe.
Let’s start with her highly - impressive scholastic background. She was class salutatorian of Manga Elementary School in 1990. Her secondary education at BNHS was a major contributing factor to her long list of achievements. Bambi was class spelling bee and received the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) Award in 1990. In 1994, she was class valedictorian of BNHS and recipient of the Duty Medal Award, Philippine Insular Life Award and Philippine Senate Award.
She earned her degree in Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology at Southwestern University (SWU) in 1998, magna cum laude, was conferred the Most Outstanding Graduate of SWU citation and another special award for garnering the highest grade point average (GPA) of the entire graduating class of 1998. From 1994 to 1998, she was consistently No. 1 in the dean’s list, a member of the team that grabbed the championship plum of the Junior Chemical Society Quizbowl in 1995. Her leadership potentials were harnessed and recognized when she was elected president of the Medtech interns in 1998 and vice-president of the Cebu Blood Donors’ Society (1997-98). Her diligence and focus on her studies paid off as she was university scholar from 1998 to 2002, always occupying the top spot (No. 1) in the dean’s list and was cited as most outstanding in anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry, all nerve-wracking and mind-boggling subjects dreaded by most students. In the inter-medical school quizbowl (2000) sponsored by the Cebu Medical Society, Inc., her team bagged the championship trophy. She was also trusted with money matters as class treasurer from 1999 to 2002.
The next step towards success led her to Matias H. Aznar Memorial College of Medicine (MHAMCM)–SWU for medicine proper where she was able to avail of an academic scholarship from the Bisaya Medical Association of USA based in Florida; graduated cum laude and first (Top 1) in the College of Medicine graduating class 2002. Among her other awards were the SWU Academic Excellence Award, Most Outstanding in Pediatrics and Most Outstanding in Ophthalmology. She was granted post-graduate internship (PGI) at the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital, but chose to serve as PGI at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), formerly Southern Islands Hospital in Cebu City and earned the citation Most Outstanding PGI (MOP) – Batch 2003. She passed the qualifying exam for residency training (QERT) administered by the Department of Health (DOH) in July 2003, then the United States medical licensure exams (USMLE) – Step 1 in December 2003 and Step 2 in March of this year. Not only that. In April 2004, she was second placer (national ranking) in the career professional examinations given by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and 14th placer in the Philippine licensure examination for physicians in August of 2004. Beat that?
The hardest part in medical school? The exams, she quipped. As it was just like in high school when students were in block sections. She told me that she gained more insights from friends who were mature enough to be cool, yet still have some childish stunts slipping in between. In medical school, there’s time to be serious and time to play. While studying in Cebu, Bambi, her brother Doydee and her sister Wowie did the laundry and cooked meals, as they were taught at home. Though some of her classmates found it rather incredible, internship was physically overwhelming as expected. Imagine 32 hours hospital duty, 48 hours even! They say “sleeping is a luxury in medicine.” It’s true, but then people studying medicine belong to the age bracket who won’t need growth hormones (from sleep) because the growing process has long ceased (quite interesting). Her secret in school: “Intelligence plus diligence wrapped in prayers.”
Beauty and brains seldom go together. But in the case of Bambi, she is one of the rare species who is so fortunate to have the best of worlds. Her first beauty title was BNHS Binibining Agham, followed by the Binibining Agham – Bohol, which later paved the way to her winning the Region VII Binibining Agham ’92, Miss Alturas Campus Personality ’92, Mutya sa Tagbilaran ’94; Miss Bohol Sandugo ’94; Miss Medical Technology and Miss Southwestern University “96, SWU Golden Jubilee Queen and San Miguel Corporation (Mandaue) Muse ’97.
Having harmony is the family is very important to the Evardones. They also share in the success of each family member. The eldest is Mae Joy (my classmate for four years at BNHS), a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduate of then Divine Word College, the first nurse in the family, who is now in the dialysis unit of University of Connecticut, married to Engr. Daniel Curtis Falk. Jose Voltaire “Boyteh,” DWC graduate, nurse at the emergency care unit of Yale University Medical Center, also in Connecticut, living with wife Elma Ruaya, a physical therapist from Tagbilaran. Mutya sa Tagbilaran ’91 and Miss Bohol Sandugo ’91 second runner-up Joanna Cheryl “Chewee,” is 17th placer in the nurses’ licensure examination in May 1994 and now working as a nurse in the intensive coronary care unit in the same hospital with Boyteh. Janice Michelle “Wowie,” Mutya sa Tagbilaran ’96 second runner-up, SWU-Miss Physical Therapy ’95 and Miss Volare ’93, turned out to be a licensed physical therapist who’s a university scholar all through her PT days, continued to be in medical school and graduated as No. 1 of her class and is now a physician connected with the Medical Mission Group Cooperative Hospital. Jose Socrates “Doydee” recently finished post-graduate medical internship at Cebu Doctors’ Hospital, but spent his medtech and medical courses at SWU and in year 2000 got an award for academic excellence as university scholar. He is bracing himself for the Philippine licensure exams for physicians. The youngest is Justin Francis “Jopet”, in his fifth and final year in architecture at the University of Bohol (UB), the only artist in the family especially gifted in the field of pens and figures.
Bambi happily recounts sweet memories of her childhood. There’s a two-year gap between each sibling, so they could divide into two (2) teams already to play “salangkati”(?) without having to import additional players and the choir’s complete during Christmas when they would go caroling. They shared the household chores; they took turns in washing the dishes and cooking rice. She still remembers there was a clipboard attached to a bulletin board so it was easier to check whose turn it was. There were also sweeping assignments. Bambi, who belonged to the younger half of the family, swept the kitchen, while the older siblings had bigger parts to clean proportionately. Since their mother had her hands full with schoolwork, the older siblings taught the younger ones how to do math and how to deal with grammar. When both parents would go to Cebu for something on particular occasions, everybody will then be excited because each of them would get a coloring and rhyme book as “pasalubong.”
As Bambi had shared, her parents’ upbringing and methods of discipline were varied: whipping with one (1) or two (2) coconut midribs, rubber sandals (chinelas), leather belts, “lusi” (pinched especially over the inguinal area) or just sleep-inducing litany (I experienced all of that, too!). As kids, they were not allowed too much television – TV viewing was only one hour a day, from six (6) to seven (7) in the evening during school days, and limited only to Newswatch, instead of Mickey Mouse and other cartoons. Would you believe their childhood TV idols were Harry Gasser and Cathy Santillan-Veloso, newscasters of RPN-9? A constant reminder was posted in bold letters near the TV which says: “NO TELEVIEWING AFTER 7PM. TV IS ONLY GOOD FOR NEWS WATCHING. IF YOU HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO, READ. IF YOU’RE DONE STUDYING, SLEEP.
This brilliant and charming lady physician met Dr. Carlito B. Astillero II, the love of her life, in medical school, while she was in her first year and he, in third year. According to her, it was his (future husband’s) close friend who courted her. This writer hadn’t a chance to ask what exactly transpired, but Carlito started courting Bambi during her third year. As she wasn’t the type to give up her pursuit for academic supremacy even under threat of macho stare, Bambi turned him down twice, but Carlito’s persistence must have smitten this beauty queen from Manga who finally opened her heart (for a one-on-one relationship) during her fourth year – internship – when she didn’t have to worry a lot about grades… Not many people know that Bambi and Carlito permanently sealed their union last April 11, 2005 at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Worker. By the last week of November, Carlito, after his three and a half-year residency training in general surgery at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, will leave for the United States to join Bambi, now on her first-year residency training in internal medicine at the Caritas Carney Hospital-Tafts University in Boston, Massachusetts and will hopefully specialize in nephrology or cardiology in the future…and up to now, her favorite line is still – “there’s no pillow so soft than a clear conscience.” How true!
(Fiel Angeli E. Araoarao – Gabin)
"Where are you, my love,
I need you, my love,
Please try to forgive,
For I cannot live,
No, I can't go on without you."
Happy Valentines!!!!!
If it's too good to be true, ... it's a mirage.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2015, 01:49:48 AM by juan »
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"true love is life's best treasure.
wealth and fame may pass away,
bring no joy or lasting pleasure.
true love abides all way.
through the world i'll gladly go,
if one true love i know."
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Everyone, who came into my world, left footprints in my heart. Some, so faint, I can hardly detect them. Others, so clear, I can easily discern them. Regardless, they all influenced me. They all made me who I am.