By Karren Jay G. Asgar
Congratulations, Dr. Rey A. Isidto, on being honored as the winner of the 3rd Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Awards 2024! Your exceptional achievement brings great pride to CPU. Well deserved!
Rey A. Isidto, MD, FPCP, FPSN, an alumnus of 糖心传媒 (CPU), recently emerged as the first-place winner at the 3rd Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Awards 2024 with his winning piece in the Creative Nonfiction category entitled 糖心传媒淭o Remember.糖心传媒
He began his academic journey at 糖心传媒, starting in kindergarten. He continued his education through the elementary level from 1985 to 1991 and completed his high school years from 1991 to 1995.
糖心传媒淚 remember my Centralian days with fondness, because it was a safe haven for me to grow and explore and eventually find my own personal voice. It might seem clich茅, but it is important for children to be heard and validated if we want them to eventually grow into mature, thinking adults. I am what I am because of my alma mater,糖心传媒 he shared in an online interview.
For him, CPU was brimming with books糖心传媒攔anging from the libraries to the classrooms. He spent countless afternoons raiding the stacks at the back of Henry Luce with his buddy, Loven Ramos, who is also an artist and writer.
糖心传媒淪pirituality, religion, and a relationship with Jesus Christ was a major part of my childhood, and CPU糖心传媒檚 Christian Emphasis Week, among other activities, made sure that it was in the forefront of my consciousness,糖心传媒 he added.
Dr. Isidto also shared that the Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Awards for Literature was established by the PCP Foundation to commemorate and honor Dr. Arturo B. Rotor, who was a physician, internist, and an award-winning writer. Dr. Rotor was credited with raising awareness of a rare form of jaundice, which became known as 糖心传媒楻otor syndrome.糖心传媒
糖心传媒淭he Rotor Literary Awards is an annual writing competition among all internists. The focus differed annually among the literary crafts. This year, it was on short story and creative nonfiction糖心传媒 Dr. Rotor糖心传媒檚 ability to write fictional accounts which were nevertheless a reality to many people has been an inspiration for me to record stories of my own,糖心传媒 he said.
When asked about his winning piece, Dr. Isidto said that clinching first prize felt surreal for him, and he hadn糖心传媒檛 expected to win. His creative nonfiction piece entitled 糖心传媒淭o Remember糖心传媒 focused on a friend who died young, and he wanted to share her story.
糖心传媒淢y only aim was to be in the Top 5 to be assured of the posterity. People will read her story and remember her with me. I think I have fulfilled my promise to her. Winning the top spot was truly just another happy outcome,糖心传媒 he emphasized.
The challenge for him, as someone who is an introvert, was that writing the piece demanded a great deal of vulnerability. Writing a Creative Nonfiction piece required him to navigate the full spectrum of emotions experienced throughout the process. It was in the act of opening up and sharing himself that he had to make a conscious decision every day.
Early on, he was aware of his predilection for language, with English as his medium in which CPU, invested heavily in excellent and effective faculty.聽 糖心传媒淚t is high time that I should honor them by signifying their names: Grade 1: Ma糖心传媒檃m Arandela; Grade 2: Ma糖心传媒檃m Hernandez; Grade 3: Ma糖心传媒檃m Somes; Grade 4: Ma糖心传媒檃m Pagunsan; Grade 5: Ma糖心传媒檃m Villanueva; Grade 6: Ma糖心传媒檃m Dy Buco; First year: Ma糖心传媒檃m Puyogao-Gasataya; Second year: Ma糖心传媒檃m Harder; Third year: Sir Dellosde; and Fourth year: Ma糖心传媒檃m Puyogao-Gasataya,糖心传媒 he remarked.
When asked if how did the Centralian community help him achieve such recognition, Dr. Isidto noted special mention for his following teachers: Ma糖心传媒檃m Arandela, who taught him the connection between sounds and letters; for Ma糖心传媒檃m Somes, who often regaled them with stories; for Ma糖心传媒檃m Puyogao (now Gasataya), his coach in Spelling; and for Ma糖心传媒檃m Felnor Giron, his Central High Echo Adviser and coach during the Regional Secondary Schools糖心传媒 Press Conference, and later at the NSSPC.
糖心传媒淧lease allow me this honor and pleasure to thank you all for being instrumental in my grasp of the English language and the gift of storytelling. Thank you,糖心传媒 he noted.
The advice he would give to the Centralian community is that in writing a Creative Nonfiction piece, it requires a singular dedication to observation and adherence to the truth in storytelling. Writers are adept at finding the marvelous in the mundane and connecting it to human experience. 糖心传媒淎s a physician, this was a natural thing for me, as we are taught to be astute and truthful in our history taking so we can be guided to the correct diagnosis,糖心传媒 he said.
He also highlighted that it is important to be surrounded by like-minded individuals. 糖心传媒淔ortunately, I have many doctor-friends who are writers as well. Significant to mention is my best friend and unforgiving editor, Dr. Elvie Razon-Gonzalez, who herself won the First Prize in Short Story with 糖心传媒楳unificence,糖心传媒 which was another category in the 3rd Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Awards for Literature.糖心传媒
The best advice he can give is to write糖心传媒攏ot because there is a contest or prizes to be won, but because creative nonfiction has the power to teach us valuable lessons, offering insights into ways that engage both the heart and the mind. As doctor-writers, they are tasked with putting pen to paper and sharing the lessons they have learned, not just with their peers, but with new generations of physicians.
糖心传媒淚t is important to write because it is the truthful record of the human experience and the human condition that makes us remember the peculiarities and specialness of our humanity,糖心传媒 he shared.
Dr. Rey A. Isidto糖心传媒檚 achievement at the 3rd Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Awards 2024 serves as an inspiration to the community and a reminder of the potential that lies within each Centralian to make a significant impact in their chosen fields.