Juan Martin Flavier (; June 23, 1935 – October 30, 2014) was a Filipino physician and politician. He served as the

Secretary of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate Minister of Mental Health, ministers ...

under President Fidel V. Ramos from 1992 to 1995, and was later elected to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, serving from 1995 to 2007.

Early life

Flavier was born in

Tondo, Manila Tondo is a district located in Manila, Philippines. It is the largest in terms of area and population of Manila's sixteen districts, with a Census-estimated 631,313 people in 2015 and consists of two congressional districts. It is also the seco ...

. He was born in a very poor family to semi-literate parents. He eventually moved to

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

where he finished his secondary studies at the Baguio City National High School. He is trained as a doctor and received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the UP College of Medicine at the

University of the Philippines Manila The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) is a state-funded medical and research university located in Ermita, Manila, Philippines. It is known for being the country's center of excellence in the health sciences, including health profess ...

in 1960 and Masters in Public Health from the

Bloomberg School of Public Health Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and ...

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

in 1969. He was known for his short stature at only 1.50 meters (4 ft 11 in).

Career

"Doctor to the Barrios"

Flavier went to serve poor rural

barangays A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( tgl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Ecija , also ; ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Ecija; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Ecija; Kapampangan: ''Lalawigan/Probinsia ning Nueva Ecija''), is a landlocked province ...

and

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southw ...

as a " doctor to the barrios". He was a "country doctor" for 30 years. His work was recognized and he was appointed president of the

Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement The Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement, abbreviated as PRRM, is a non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed ...

. in 1967. From 1978 to 1992, he was president of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction.

Department of Health

In 1992, Philippine President

Fidel Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to ...

appointed Flavier Secretary of the Department of Health. During his term, he initiated various health programs such as ''Oplan Alís Disease'', ''Kontra Kolera,'' ''Stop TB'', ''Araw ng Sangkáp Pinoy'', ''Family Planning'' and ''Doctor to the Barrios Program''. During his term

barangay health worker Barangay health volunteers, also known as barangay health workers, are health care providers in the Philippines. They undergo a basic training program under an accredited government or non-government organization, and render primary care services ...

s were organized. He served as Secretary of the Department of Health until 1995. He was regularly rated one of the most popular government officials and his department one of the most effective. He was perhaps the most popular Secretary of Health.

Philippine Senate

In 1995, he ran for senator and won under the Ramos administration ticket and was re-elected to a second term in the 2001 elections, placing second among the 12 winning candidates. As senator, he authored and sponsored several landmark bills including the Traditional Medicine Law, the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act, Philippine Clean Air Act, Indigenous People's Rights Act, Anti-money Laundering Act, Barangay Micro-Business Enterprise, National Service Training Program for Tertiary Students, Dangerous Drugs Act, Plant Variety Protection Act, Philippine Nursing Act, the Tobacco Regulation Act, and the law declaring Eid'l Fitr a national public holiday in the Philippines. When he was senator he had a perfect attendance record during sessions, a fact mentioned in the Senate resolution marking his death, which read in part, "The hard-working legislator registered a perfect attendance during the sessions and was instrumental in the enactment of landmark legislations promoting public health care and improving the quality of life of the people." He was also the "poorest" senator, with a net worth on his 2005 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN) of 3.49 million

Philippine peso The Philippine peso, also referred to by its Tagalog name ''piso'' ( Philippine English: , , plural pesos; tl, piso ; sign: ₱; code: PHP), is the official currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 ''sentimo'', also called ...

s. Flavier was also formerly a resident presenter on ''

Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko ''Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko'' (international title: ''My Brother's Keeper'' / ) is a Philippine television public service show broadcast by GMA Network. Originally hosted by Rosa Rosal, Orly Mercado and Antonio Talusan, it premiered on December 1, 1975 ...

'', a public service programme on

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...

Death

Flavier died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

-related

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

and organ failure at 16:00 PST ( GMT+8) on October 30, 2014, at the age of 79. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

as early as September 11.

Works

Flavier wrote a regular newspaper column about his experiences as a doctor in the countryside, even while he served at Health Secretary. Below is a listing of works authored by Flavier,''Books › "Juan M. Flavier"''
amazon.com including '' Doctor to the Barrios'', wherein he narrates his experience working with and for the

Books

*'' Doctor to the Barrios, Experiences with the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement'' (1970) *''My Friends in the Barrios'' (1974) *''Back to the Barrios: Balikbaryo'' (1978) *''Parables of the Barrio: Vol. I'' (1988) *''Parables of the Barrio: Vol. II, Nos. 51-100'' (1989) *''Parables of the Barrio: Vol. III, Nos. 101-150'' (1991) *''Let's DOH It!: How We Did It'' (1998) *''From Barrio to Senado: an Autobiography'' (2009)

Papers

*''Mobilizing Local Leaders for Rural Development: The Case of the People's School (IIRR working paper, 1980)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flavier, Juan 1935 births 2014 deaths Senators of the 13th Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 12th Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 11th Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 10th Congress of the Philippines Presidents pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines Secretaries of Health of the Philippines Filipino public health doctors Filipino non-fiction writers Filipino medical writers Health and wellness writers Filipino general practitioners Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health alumni Lakas–CMD (1991) politicians Lakas–CMD politicians People from Tondo, Manila University of the Philippines Manila alumni Ramos administration cabinet members Filipino United Methodists