Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
by Miriam G Desacada
Tacloban City- Eastern Samar Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan Lauds Approval of Bill to Establish ESSU College of Medicine
Eastern Samar House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan has welcomed the committee approval of House Bill No. 112, which seeks to create a College of Medicine at Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) in Borongan City.
Libanan stated that the proposed medical school will broaden access to medical education for underprivileged but deserving students and help alleviate the persistent shortage of doctors, particularly in rural areas like Eastern Samar.
“The proposed medical school is not just an educational project—it is a healthcare intervention. We simply do not have enough doctors in the country, and the shortages are most alarming in rural areas such as Eastern Samar,” Libanan said.
Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan – a lawyer by profession and a medical technologist by education – has welcomed the House committee’s approval of House Bill No. 112, which seeks to establish a College of Medicine at Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) in Borongan City.
A native of Eastern Samar who served nine years as the province’s lone district representative before becoming 4Ps party-list congressman, Libanan stressed that the bill is a “strategic, urgent, and necessary step toward building a stronger, fairer healthcare system for our province and country.”
He cited national data showing the Philippines has only 7.9 physicians per 10,000 population—well below the benchmark of 10 per 10,000—with many regions, especially Eastern Samar, severely underserved.
The Bill aims: Establishment of ESSU College of Medicine offering a Doctor of Medicine program focused on learner‑centered, competency‑based training.
Scholarships and affirmative‑action programs for students from low‑income families.
Which is theGoal is to increase access to medical education for underprivileged but deserving students and address the doctor shortage in rural Eastern Samar.
Libanan emphasized: “Once the state‑subsidized medical school is established, we expect it to make medical education far more accessible, particularly to students whose families cannot afford private schooling. Over time, its graduates will serve our communities and strengthen the province’s healthcare system.”
