Why I Went to Siargao and Stayed | Siargao Doctor | Real Stories Real People | OG
For people who love to travel, what is your top reason why you pack those bags and catch that flight? To de-stress? To escape the routine in your comfort zone? To experience a special atmosphere and amazing food? To make memories? There's a running list of why people travel. But let's talk about those people who reached their beautiful destination and decided to stay, for good! People say traveling will make you realize how much you don't know. Maybe that happened, and one thing led to another.
Meet TJ Manalang, a doctor from Pasig who fell in love with General Luna, Siargao Island. He came to the island as a traveler; now he's the town's municipal health officer. He's obviously living with a purpose. So what gives? And has it been peaceful? Let TJ tell you his story.
Real Stories Real People is OG's new weekly series about ordinary (or maybe not) people sharing their stories of passion, challenges, life, success and the in-betweens. Catch us next week for another storytelling to charm you.
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About OG
Using the power of video to tell one good story at a time... ONLY GOOD... OG.
OG is Summit Media's video first brand. And like all Summit Media brands, OG is anchored on top-notch storytelling to delight, inspire, and connect with our audiences.
We are deliberate in creating content that spread positivity, inspiration, and good vibes. Expect only good here at OG. Subscribe and be part of the community!
For people who love to travel, what is your top reason why you pack those bags and catch that flight? To de-stress? To escape the routine in your comfort zone? To experience a special atmosphere and amazing food? To make memories? There's a running list of why people travel. But let's talk about those people who reached their beautiful destination and decided to stay, for good! People say traveling will make you realize how much you don't know. Maybe that happened, and one thing led to another.
Meet TJ Manalang, a doctor from Pasig who fell in love with General Luna, Siargao Island. He came to the island as a traveler; now he's the town's municipal health officer. He's obviously living with a purpose. So what gives? And has it been peaceful? Let TJ tell you his story.
Real Stories Real People is OG's new weekly series about ordinary (or maybe not) people sharing their stories of passion, challenges, life, success and the in-betweens. Catch us next week for another storytelling to charm you.
Click here to subscribe to OG:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIj3xiW-RIO2cpr5LBvokRg/?sub_confirmation=1
About OG
Using the power of video to tell one good story at a time... ONLY GOOD... OG.
OG is Summit Media's video first brand. And like all Summit Media brands, OG is anchored on top-notch storytelling to delight, inspire, and connect with our audiences.
We are deliberate in creating content that spread positivity, inspiration, and good vibes. Expect only good here at OG. Subscribe and be part of the community!
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 I think life boils down to what you think of yourself and what you make of what you think of yourself.
00:06 Si Siargao allows you to be at peace.
00:09 At peace ka lang. Kahit ano mangyari sa'yo the entire day or kahit ano nangyari sa'yo noong morning.
00:17 Tapos magsurf ka. Okay. Okay na ko. Parang na-let go ko siya.
00:21 Or parang hindi na siya ganun kapikat na thing.
00:26 Hi, I'm T.J. Manalang, the municipal health officer of General Luna, Siargao Island.
00:31 I graduated batch 2015 from Ateneo School of Medicine.
00:43 Pero before pa kami mag-graduate, meron nang parang sense sa'kin na public health talaga yung gusto ko gawin.
00:49 Tapos na-assign ako sa San Narciso, Quezon Province. Tapos doon nag-serve for two years as Dr. Del Barrio.
00:58 After a while, marami nangyari. Na-diagnose ako with major depressive disorder.
01:03 I guess marami lang talaga nangyari sa'kin during that time.
01:06 Pati yung pagod din of learning na yung parang dream mo to be a public health servant is
01:13 di siya matadala ng pure passion lang. At least meron kang regimen to take care of yourself.
01:19 Noong time before ako mag-diagnose with depression, sabi ng mga group of friends ko na parang sa same region kami.
01:26 Sabi na, "Uy, book tayo ng Siargao." Kasi mura pa. Parang like mga tipong peso deal na parang mga like 11 pesos na nga tayong nag-gaso sa amin doon.
01:36 Pero yung booking niya, August pa of the next year.
01:39 So ang dami nangyari in between doon. Na-push ko yung sarilik ko na, "O sige, go lang. You deserve this. So you should go."
01:46 So nandito ako, sabi ko talaga sarili ko, "Uy, wow. Yung area parang...
01:52 Kung dito siguro nangyari sa'kin lahat na nangyari sa'kin the past year, I think kaya lang, no?
01:58 Kakayanin ko lang kasi dito ko pinaka-best magagamit yung skills ko while at the same time nakapaghanap ng peace within myself."
02:07 Hello! Taga Pasig ako. Taga Manila lang. Wala kong probinsya.
02:12 So nung nasa yan talaga ako, sabi ko, "Okay. Okay. Eto na."
02:17 Siargao Island is like such an isolated island if you think about it from the rest of everything else.
02:27 Na when I got here, hindi naman sa sinasabi kong hindi maganda, no?
02:33 Maganda yung healthcare system na in place sa Siargao Island.
02:38 Of course, as compared to yun nga, kung ano yung meron in like a metropolitan city,
02:44 yung access na you would want to have, it's not as developed nga as you would see dun sa mga city na yun.
02:51 Sa ngayon, on its way to becoming parang addressed, pero for example, meron kang like ng malalang stroke,
03:00 ang nahanap namin na way is maaga pa lang talaga.
03:03 Kaya siya napu-push towards talagang yung mga goals ng public health, which is prevention.
03:08 Kasi kapag nandun ka na, kapag nangyari na yung stroke na talaga, yun yung pahirapan.
03:13 Amazing for me yung fact na yung public health includes preventing these diseases, no?
03:19 Kasi dun dun ka makang-focus na.
03:21 The more na na-prevent mo, the less na kailangan mo alalahanin.
03:25 Before pa mag-start yung lockdowns, nung buuhan virus pa lang yung tawag sa COVID-19,
03:30 ang mandate sa'min is lahat ng bisita ng Siargao na hindi taga dito,
03:38 kailangan masure mo na walang sakit, na walang meron nung COVID virus.
03:45 Kaming dalawa lang pa noon nung surveillance officer,
03:48 nag-ikot kami, nakasakya ako sa motor niya, pumunta kami sa isang resort.
03:52 Tapos magtatanong, "Oh may nakastay ba dito?"
03:55 Tapos kausapin namin, usually foreigner, parang "Oh, sige."
03:59 So yung thing is, hindi lang lima or sampu yung resort sa GL.
04:04 Kung alam nyo lang kung ilan lang kami sa RHU,
04:07 at ilan lang yung, pag sinabi natin, contact tracing team, ilan lang yun na tao.
04:12 Nung kasama na namin yung mga nurses, lahat sila parang dinidivide namin lahat ng resort.
04:17 Tapos lahat ng stranded tourists noon, nakausap namin, nakachika.
04:23 Tapos ang daming nagbagong challenges,
04:26 mainly because mayroong mga tourists noon na mayroong mga anxiety, mayroong mga psych problems.
04:32 Yung anxiety nung entire thing, yung uncertainty nung lahat ng nangyayari,
04:40 tinry talaga namin i-address ba.
04:43 Yun nga, always mayroong town hall meeting at that time.
04:46 "Oh, ito yung kinakaharap natin. Ito yung posibling mangyari."
04:50 Ito yung reason kung bakit natin ginagawa, kung ano yung ginagawa natin.
04:53 Hindi siya naging madali, pero at the same time, mayroon namang help from the community kasi...
05:00 Oh, ganun natin si GL eh.
05:02 Somehow parang nag-step up naman yung mga tao to help with the cause of preventing general illness.
05:07 Inakataba ng puso kasi parang like, "Okay, lahat tayo, hindi natin alam yung gagawin."
05:11 Pero ito yung sinabi na gawin nila nung mga nasa taas.
05:15 "Okay, sige gawin natin."
05:17 I guess yung pandemic showed na we need to parang get back to our roots.
05:22 Dito sa island.
05:24 Maraming parang farmland na parang ipag-iwanan, na parang na-revive kasi...
05:30 "Ay, okay. Wala na tayong ibang option."
05:32 Nag-step up yung community mismo na parang mayroong mga nag-establish ng kanilang mga community kitchen.
05:39 Andami sa GL na tumulong.
05:42 Kasi parang yung mga nagsara or parang mga walang nagagawa na ng mga hotels or accommodations.
05:49 Parang may mga drives sila to help the community.
05:52 And it actually made our jobs a lot easier.
05:56 Pag sandami din naming volunteers during that time na naka-amaze.
06:01 If not only because of the people who are nice,
06:08 if not only because of the spirit of the island which allows you to be the best you,
06:13 it's because going out, maglabas ka lang, punta ka.
06:17 Pagpunta kayo sa health center, paglabas mo, beach.
06:20 Like kahit kano kakastress, nababas ka lang dun.
06:23 Napapawi kahit papano yung stress mo.
06:26 Yung nawawiden yung world mo kung sino-sino yung nami-meet mo na like foreign nationals, ganun,
06:33 or nagingging friend mo dahil sa pag-check up sa kanila or pagtulong sa kanila in some particular way.
06:43 What compels us to stay is, yung it brings out the best in you.
06:50 And it gives you peace enough to bring out the best in you so you can pursue whatever you want.
06:56 Si Siargao allows you to be at peace.
06:59 I think life boils down to what you think of yourself and what you make of what you think of yourself.
07:08 I see myself definitely staying here for good.
07:14 [Music]