About Us

The World Surgical Foundation Philippines, Inc. (WSFP) is a Filipino-founded, non-stock, non-profit charitable foundation committed to enhancing the surgical healthcare capacity in the Philippines.

WSFP works to provide underserved and marginalized Filipinos with access to safe, timely, quality, and equitable surgical care, while helping strengthen the capacity of communities and healthcare institutions through access to surgical specialists, appropriate equipment, training, research and sustainable partnerships. Through its network of volunteer surgeons, medical professionals, hospitals, donors, corporate partners, and other stakeholders, WSFP brings essential surgical services to communities where access to such care remains limited. Its programs are guided by a simple conviction: no Filipino should have to endure a treatable surgical condition simply because quality surgical care is beyond their reach.

Brief History

The roots of WSFP can be traced to a shared commitment to bring surgical care to underserved Filipinos.

Inspired by this mission, a group of Filipino medical outreach volunteers who had participated in surgical outreach in the Philippines came together with a vision of building an organization of their own—Filipino-founded, locally incorporated, and independently governed, yet carrying forward the same spirit of service and commitment to those in need. Co-founded by Dr. Marcus Lester R. Suntay, Arlene C. Keh, Eliseo Jojo L. Prisno, and Candy Emnas-Prisno, the group incorporated the World Surgical Foundation Philippines, Inc. (WSFP) on June 30, 2017.

Inspired by Dr. Domingo T. Alvear, an American-Filipino surgeon and founder of the World Surgical Foundation (WSF) in the United States, whose humanitarian work and surgical outreach in the Philippines demonstrated the profound impact that volunteerism and collaboration can have on communities in need; the founders adopted the name World Surgical Foundation Philippines with the permission of Dr. Alvear, as a tribute to the inspiration provided by his pioneering humanitarian work.

From its inception, however, WSFP has been a distinct and independent Philippine organization, incorporated and governed by Filipinos and dedicated to serving Filipino communities.

Since its founding, WSFP has grown into a volunteer-driven organization delivering free surgical care to underserved communities across the country. Working in partnership with surgeons, medical societies, hospitals, healthcare professionals, corporations, foundations, and individual donors, WSFP has continued to expand its reach and deepen its programs.

Today, WSFP remains steadfast in its mission: to bridge the gap in access to surgical care and restore not only health, but dignity, opportunity, and hope, to the Filipinos we serve.

Our Vision

Quality surgical healthcare for

marginalized communities

Our Mission

In collaboration with the partners and advocates of WSFP, provide accessible, quality, and sustainable healthcare to marginalized communities.

Core Values

The Core Values of WSFP are encapsulated in the motto: Care. Cure. Collaborate.

Care. We lead with empathy—identifying unmet surgical needs, prioritizing underserved areas, and designing programs that go beyond numbers to deliver meaningful, life-changing impact. Every project is executed with safety, compassion, and purpose at its core.

Cure. We deliver high-quality surgical care through specialized teams with proven expertise, and using state-of-the-art machines and equipment, ensuring every patient lined up is treated — because commitment to healing means seeing every case through.

Collaborate. We believe impact is multiplied through partnership. At the heart of our work is forging strong collaboration between the national government, local governments, and WSFP—alongside private sector and communities—to make accessible surgical care a shared and sustainable reality.

Care. Cure. Collaborate.

Board of Trustees

Ms. Arlene C. Keh – Chairperson (Co-Founder)
Dr. Lester R. Suntay – President (Co-Founder)
Dr. Henrique Samuel S. da Roza –Vice President for External Projects
Dr. Rhoderick C. De Leon – Vice President for Internal Projects
Ms. Cathline D. Avellano – Trustee / Secretary
Mr. Edgardo T. Tantoco – Trustee / Treasurer
Ms. Mayo G. Santiago – Trustee / Assistant Treasurer
Atty. Raoul C. Creencia – Trustee / Legal Counsel
Dr. Don Eliseo L. Prisno III – Trustee / Research Committee
Mr. Allan Cueva – Trustee / LGU Partnerships Committee
Mr. Alexander S. Narciso – Trustee / Marketing Committee
Mr. Manuel R. Salak III – Trustee / Finance Committee
Dr. Beda R. Espineda – Trustee / Medical Committee
Mr. Erven M. Manzano – Trustee

Dr. Domingo Alvear – Adviser / Global Founder WSF Int'l
Mr. Joseph Emnas – Adviser
Mr. Augusto M. Cosio, Jr. – Adviser

Secretariat

ADMINISTRATIVE

Ms. Crisyl A. Ursabia – Executive Director
Ms. Syhra L. Fabula – Administrative Officer
Mr. Redan C. Abayon – Administrative Assistant

PROGRAMS

Mr. Dominique Tilles - Program Coordinator, Direct Surgical Support Programs
Mr. Jhon Lloyd M. Tejoso - Program Officer, Direct Surgical Support Programs
Ms. Diana A. Miciano - Program Officer, Direct Surgical Support Programs
Mr. Philip Paolo G. Delorino - Program Officer/ Research Officer, Surgical Research Support Program
Mr. Ronald Carlos Garcia - Program Assistant, Direct Surgical Support Programs
Mr. Eidelbert C. Santiago - Volunteer Program Coordinator, Health Systems Capacity Building Programs
Ms. Maria Elizabeth Ann P. Marasigan - Volunteer Program Assistant, Direct Surgical Support Programs

Accreditations

Our Medical Partners

Our Private Partners