President’s Message
Greetings!
2021 was the second year of the pandemic. But rather then discourage us, we saw it as an opportunity to flesh out and begin to implement the outcomes of the March 27, 2021 strategic planning workshop.
Committees
One of the first things we did was to appoint Committee Chairs as follows:
• Membership – Dr. Martha Lu-Bolanos & Dr. Ester Bitanga
• Research & Training – Dr. Paul Pasco & Dr. Leonard Pascual
• Communications – Dr. Lynne Lucena
• Resource Generation – Ms. Marianne Quebral
• Finance – Dr. Julette Batara
• Board Governance – Dr. Godfrey Robeniol
Over several meetings, your Board reviewed and revised the Duties and Responsibilities of the different committees in the Operations Manual to align these with our goals. Highlights include:
Membership
• Expand individual membership by inviting not just UPFANS alumni practicing here but also those abroad
• Invite corporate partners, including both local and international organizations
Research & Training
• Funding for this will come from a Grant from The Brain Foundation, Inc. (BRAIN)
• The Committee composed of representatives from child neurology, adult neurology, and neurosurgery which held a brain storming session on research initiatives just before the pandemic will be re-activated
•Researches will ultimately benefit the indigent patients of the department
Communications
• Our social media platforms (i.e., Website, Facebook, and YouTube,) will be maximized to promote and publicize programs and projects, thereby building our brand.
• Maxweb, Inc. and The Film Dream (TFD) are our partners in this initiative. In fact, TFD is so moved by our advocacy that they have proposed a marketing strategy for the next 3 years and are offering their services for a ridiculously discounted rate. Recognizing the impact this will have on our branding efforts, the Board has approved this proposal in principle.
Resource Generation
• Our application to be included among GCash’s organizations is being processed
• We are planning several fund-raising activities for 2022 when LST Brain will celebrate its 10th Anniversary. This includes wellness lectures to corporations, webinars, and a big event in September where hopefully we will introduce our brand ambassador
Finance
• Our Endowment Fund has already earned One Million Pesos in interest since it was established in 2019. This has been re-invested so the fund will continue to grow.
Our Donors
The “Friend-get-friend” strategy is really what works best for us. Here are some stories to share:
To refresh your memories, in 2020 Dr. Ester Bitanga posted our Christmas card fund raiser in her FaceBook page and sent this to her friends as well. In no time, her classmates in the United States – UPCM’73 – decided to donate $10,000 to us thru UPMASA.Dr. Jess Socrates, their Class President, then told the Neurosurgery Outreach Foundation, Inc. (NOF) about LST Brain. This organization, headed by Dr. Philipp Aldana, a neurosurgeon, also donated $10,000 and has
pledged to donate $10,000 whenever this fund is depleted.
The “Friend-get-friend” strategy is really what works best for us. Here are some stories to share:
To refresh your memories, in 2020 Dr. Ester Bitanga posted our Christmas card fund raiser in her FaceBook page and sent this to her friends as well. In no time, her classmates in the United States – UPCM’73 – decided to donate $10,000 to us thru UPMASA.Dr. Jess Socrates, their Class President, then told the Neurosurgery Outreach Foundation, Inc. (NOF) about LST Brain. This organization, headed by Dr. Philipp Aldana, a neurosurgeon, also donated $10,000 and has
pledged to donate $10,000 whenever this fund is depleted.
Nezda Technologies, Inc. is a top recruitment company with offices in different parts of the Philippines and Malaysia who learned about us from our website, On Oct. 1, 2021, we met with them virtually and by Oct 7, 2021 they deposited Php 150,000 in our account. Dr. Lynne Lucena was at that virtual meeting and told them about her patients in Bicol. So that donation became the start-up fund for our newest Program: The Alumni Patient Welfare Fund, with Bicol as our test site. After meeting with us, Nezda told its sister company – Collabera Technologies Private Limited – about LST Brain. We met with its representative virtually and on Dec 6, 2021 Collabera made a donation of Php 400,000. Php 150,000 of this has been added to the Alumni Patient Welfare Fund.
Donations and Beneficiaries
During our Strategic Planning Workshop in March 2021, the projected revenue for the year 2021 was Php 1,872,000.00. But we actually raised Php 3,211,386.00 in cash and Php 789,000.00 in kind for a total of Php 4,000,386.00! We helped 115 patients and the survival rate was 90%. The amount of assistance we extended was Php 1,711,291.13
Accreditations
Our accreditations with the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as a Resource Agency, Auxiliary SWDA, Philippine Council for NGO Certification (PCNC), and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as a Donee Institution remain valid. Our Public Solicitation Permit has also been renewed by DSWD.As my term ends, I’d like to thank the Trustees: Drs. Ester Bitanga, Martha Lu-Bolanos, Julette Batara, Lynne Lucena, Paul Pasco, Leonard Pascual, Ms. Marianne Quebral and Mr. Gadwin Handumon who, along with past members of the Board, have worked tirelessly to bring us to where we are now. Thank you, too to Dr. Carissa Dioquino-Maligaso our Dept. Chair; Drs. Kevin Moalong, Charmaine Sy, Karl Separa, and Jane Pascual – our Resident Volunteers; Dr. Lourdes Ledesma our Executive Director, Miafe Mendoza, our Administrative Officer, Jocelyn de Guzman, Amy Bamba and Jun Rey Bayawa – our staff volunteers. And most of all I’d like to thank our generous donors without whom we would not be able to provide the neurological care our patients deserve.
Mabuhay ang LST Brain!
Mabuhay tayong lahat!
Stay safe and well
Godfrey T. Robeniol, MD, FPNA
President
View the full report here: LSTB ANNUAL REPORT 2021
