History of the Philippine National Ear Institute

The EAR INSTITUTE was approved by the Board of Regents University of the Philippines System in November 2001, and brought forth the realization of a dream of an Ear Center initiated in 1990.

It all started in the early 1980s when then department chair, Dr. Armando Chiong, Sr. who conceptualized the idea of an ear center, negotiated with hospital director Dr. Felipe Estrella for the allocation of a number of rooms in front of Ward 10, of which the Ear Unit presently stands. Succeeding chairs of the department worked for the improvement of the space, Dr. Manuel Lim for the initial purchase of equipment for temporal bone dissection courses, and Dr. Edilberto Jose for the upgrading of the equipment.

It was during the term of Dr. Joselito Jamir as chair with Dr. Generoso Abes, as chief of the Section of Otology, Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery, where efforts to modernize the Ear Unit were enhanced. Together, they worked for the acquisition of various generous donations and pledges; it was during this time that linkages from senators, congressmen, and non-governmental organizations were pursued, and by the time Dr. Generoso Abes assumed chair of the department, the Ear Unit has emerged as one of the most modern landmarks in the Philippine General Hospital, boasting of its up to date equipments.

The department, with the help of government officials, started pursuing the initiatives of establishing the Philippine Ear Institute in the early 1990s, with the assistance of Senators Francisco Tatad and Loren Legarda via Senate Bill No. 738. Senator Juan Flavier (an alumnus of the UP College of Medicine), as chairman of the Committee on Health supported the move as the principal sponsor of the bill. Realizing the snail pace process of creating the Philippine Ear Institute through legislation, Drs. Abes and Jamir, proposed the establishment of the Ear Institute to the Board of Regents, University of the Philippines System, and was subsequently approved in November 2001.

In cooperation with the EAR STUDY GROUP, awarded as the best study group in UP Manila in 1999, of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Philippine General Hospital and the EAR UNIT as the arena for many diagnostic and rehabilitative procedures on hearing and balance, operations in the areas of service, training and research were enhanced and improved.

In February 2004, the Ear Institute was signed into law as the Philippine National Ear Institute by virtue of Republic Act No. 9245.

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