'Driven by Service, Not Profit,' Dr. Malayang Describes Marina Clinic

At the soft opening of the Silliman University Marina Mission Clinic (SUMMC) on June 16 as a primary hospital offering 24/7 services to indigents in the town of Dauin and neighboring municipalities, Silliman President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III noted how both the University and its extension facility, SUMMC, are anchored on spirit of service.

“Both are institutions driven by service, not profit,” Dr. Malayang stressed, explaining how while facilities at SUMMC have been improved, it must not lose sight of how it is intended to afford quality basic medical care to many who are in need. 

According to him: “We continue to be one of the top universities in the Philippines, but we remain a small institution, compared to big schools in Manila. Just like Marina, emphasis is on service, more than anything else,” he added.

He said both started as a gift. The University grew from a $10,000 donation from Dr. Horace B. Silliman, a philanthropist in Cohoes, New York, driven to inspire change and provide quality education to many Filipinos. The SUMMC was from the family of the late Don Daniel Z. SyCip whose mission was for medical care to reach hinterland communities and make an impact in the lives of the poor. 

The facility was named after Marina SyCip, the late mother of Don Daniel whom he never had the opportunity of knowing as she died after giving birth to him. It was also established to encourage Don Daniel’s daughter, Dr. Fe SyCip-Wale, a pediatrician, to work instead in the country than abroad and focus more on giving back to the country. (Read about its history: The Silliman University Marina Mission Clinic by Dr. Fe Marie SyCip-Wale) 

“After the gift, the clinic became so much committed to service and quality. It is not so much of a problem of just having more to serve but how much more we can serve,” Dr. Malayang said. 

Now that SUMMC is a primary hospital in Dauin, Dr. Malayang also called out to local officials in Dauin, Bacong, Zamboanguita and Valencia to consider the clinic “as a part of yours in terms of services”.  “We are confident that Marina will become a big player with respect to the larger vision of Negros Oriental,” he added.

He closed his remarks by urging the staff the SUMMC to keep the dream that started the clinic more than 40 years ago. “We merely level up the dream but we will not lose the dream—to serve as much as we can with whatever little we have.”