Law establishing BSU's College of Medicine approved

La Trinidad, Benguet – The first College of Medicine in a state university in the Cordillera is now on its way to realization.

This is after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed into law the bill that seeks to establish College of Medicine at Benguet State University, as proclaimed by the Malacañang Palace on Thursday, December 28.

Under said law, BSU is now given the green light to proceed with offering a Doctor of Medicine Program, including an Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine Program, to develop a corps of professional physicians and help strengthen the country’s healthcare system.

Marcos said the college is likewise tasked with undertaking research and extension services and providing progressive leadership in these areas.

House Bill No. 312, now RA 11970, was authored by Benguet’s legislator, Eric Yap.

Yap said the realization of the bill was driven by the lack of medical institutions in the region, resulting in the high cost of medical education for aspiring physicians, including their transportation and lodging expenses.

“As a newly-appointed legislative caretaker in 2020, isa sa pinuntahan natin agad ang BSU, and we knew right there and then na kailangan magkaroon tayo ng College of Medicine—para mas maraming mabigyan ng pagkakataon makapag-aral, mas maraming scholarships, mas maraming opportunity para mai-angat ng kabataan ang standard of living ng kanyang pamilya,” Yap wrote.

Apart from the bill, the legislator also informed that he sought funding for the construction of a College of Medicine building, adding that it was already approved and is now part of the national budget for 2024.

To recall, BSU's College of Medicine had its ground-breaking ceremony on September 25, 2023, coinciding with the institution’s 107th founding anniversary.

During its opening next year, the college will be accepting an initial number of 50 enrollees starting in June 2024 to become the first medical students at BSU.

The college will then divide the group into two sections and undergo four-year training in the medical field.

In their fourth year of college, it is then that they will have their clerkship at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center.

Classes are expected to start in August 2024.

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