OSA Dr. Romulo G. Villanueva Jr. receives prestigious UERM Memorial Award for Community Service

Dr. Romulo G. Villanueva Jr. receives the Dr. Eleazar Sarmiento Memorial Award for Community Service during the Grand Reunion Gala Night of the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Alumni Association of America, Inc. (UERMMMAAI), held at the Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, NV., last June 14, 2025.

Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee (OSA) Dr. Romulo G. Villanueva Jr. was recently honored with the Dr. Eleazar Sarmiento Memorial Award for Community Service during the Grand Reunion Gala Night of the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Alumni Association of America, Inc. (UERMMMAAI), held June 14, 2025, at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This award, established in memory of Dr. Eleazar Sarmiento (UERM College of Medicine Class of 1964)—a distinguished physician, composer of the UERM Hymn, and staunch advocate for free community health services—recognizes exceptional commitment to public service and outreach to underserved communities. It is presented in collaboration with UERMMMAAI, the UERM College of Medicine, and its Alumni Association.

Dr. Villanueva was cited for his outstanding dedication to community health services in the Philippines. Although his initial assignment as a missionary doctor in the Mountain Province was disrupted by a landslide, he soon joined his father’s medical practice in Zamboanga, where he engaged in medical outreach across neighboring towns and barrios. This early involvement laid the foundation for his lifelong commitment to medical missions.

After completing his EENT residency in the United States, Dr. Villanueva became a key figure in several humanitarian initiatives. These included medical missions with the Bisaya Medical Mission, the Western Maryland Mission of Mercy, and the Lutheran Disaster Response Team. He also supported fundraising campaigns for churches and hospitals through the First Presbyterian Church of Cumberland.

A graduate of Silliman University’s BS Pre-Med program (Class of 1967), Dr. Villanueva was conferred the Outstanding Sillimanian Award in Community Health Service in 2008. His father, Dr. Romulo O. Villanueva, Sr., also a proud Sillimanian (HS 1930, AA Pre-Med 1932), received the Outstanding Sillimanian Award in Medicine in 1975.

Dr. Romulo G. Villanueva Jr. (second from right) with other co-awardees.

Villanueva family photo. (L-R) Rex Villanueva, Mrs. Kathleen Gamber Villanueva, Dr. Romulo G. Villanueva Jr., Ray Villanueva, and Ryan Villanueva.