Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on Tuesday, November 18, visited the country’s first successful pediatric liver transplant performed in a government hospital, involving a 9-year-old patient with biliary atresia.
The operation, carried out at the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), was funded through the ₱30 million raised by the Mayor and donated to UP-PGH to support life-saving pediatric surgeries.
UP-PGH Director Dr. Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi and UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Michael Tee were also present during the Mayor’s visit.
In 2019, Domagoso helped pool more than ₱30 million for UP-PGH through donations from private companies, philanthropic partners, and his own talent fees.
A substantial portion of the fund was earmarked for children with liver diseases, with PGH targeting to send several young patients abroad for more affordable liver transplant procedures.
The remaining half supported chemotherapy for pediatric cancer patients, with treatment costs ranging from ₱120,000 to ₱500,000 per child.
Much of the amount was also raised through a PGH Foundation golf tournament, supplemented by contributions from Jag Jeans, Kenny Rogers, Seattle’s Best, and I.M. Coffee, including the Mayor’s personal ₱1-million endorsement fee that he directed to the PGH cancer ward.
