MANILA, Philippines – What would you do if the person who inspired your dream suddenly disappeared?
This was the heartbreaking reality for Dr. Ina Desiree L. Mamauag. She is a graduate of Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU) College of Medicine. She placed Top 10 in the March 2025 Physician Licensure Exam (PLE). Her victory came just nine days after the loss of her father — her biggest motivator.
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| Photo courtesy: Facebook/ Ina Desiree L. Mamauag |
Dr. Mamauag recounted the painful night she lost her father. She had just finished reviewing one of her subjects. The last case she studied was about a man with chest pain not relieved by nitrates.
Afterward, she prayed to God to heal her sick mother and protect her father. Minutes later, her sister called. Her father had suffered a heart attack.
Dr. Mamauag’s mind went blank. She asked calmly, “Na-CPR mo ba siya?” Her sister explained that they were already at the hospital. In the background, she heard her mother sobbing and crying for help.
Desperate, she asked doctors to try more rounds of CPR. But it was too late. God, she said, had a different plan.
They rushed home to their province. Along the way, she remembered the last time she saw her dad. He brought her to the bus terminal before her final exam. He told her, “Pagbalik mo dito anak, licensed doctor ka na.”
Now, she was going home to a lifeless father.
Seeing her dad’s body broke her. She held his cold hand. It was the same hand that had protected and guided her all her life.
Dr. Mamauag wanted to give up. She told her family she wouldn’t take the exam anymore. She had lost the reason she pursued medicine.
But a few days later, she looked back on their last conversation. Her dad had been confident in her. He said she would not only pass but top the board exam.
She remembered how he prayed over the pencils she would use for the test. “In Jesus’ Name! Sana ibigay ni Lord yung desire ng heart mo,” he had said.
That gave her strength.
She took the exam despite feeling unprepared. Her heart was broken. Her mind was clouded. But she pushed on.
She wrote, “I am my Papa’s daughter. I am fueled by his love and God’s guidance. No trial will stop me from becoming a doctor.”
Dr. Mamauag was previously Top 9 in the March 2019 Medical Technologist Licensure Exam.
Her story is not just about success. It is about enduring loss, finding faith, and pushing forward.
“In life’s trials, I am proof that God is faithful. He hears our prayers and answers according to His will,” she said.
— Noel Ed Richards, The Summit Express