Editor's Note: Instead of the monthly Case in Focus, our December article is all about the Man of the Hour, our Most Outstanding CIM Alumnus 2014. He is not just another Mezzanine Matter article, not a Current Events write-up, but the MAN IN FOCUS. Read on and be inspired.
Our awardee was raised by a closely knit family in Lianga, Surigao del Sur. He spent his elementary and secondary school years there, with his leadership skills noted at a young age. He finished high school at Lianga National School of Fisheries as the Batch Valedictorian of Class 1969. He eventually went to Cebu for college, acquiring the Insular Life Scholarship followed by the SEATO Scholarship for BS Biology. In 1970, he was awarded the Most Outstanding ROTC Army Cadet and in 1973, he finished BS Biology, cum laude.
In CIM, he was an ESA Awardee. He also received a gold medal in gross anatomy during his graduation in 1977. As a medical student, he extended his service to his hometown by identifying places where malaria was prevalent, informing the Malaria Eradication Center about it. His noble act greatly contributed to the efforts of malaria eradication in Lianga.
He finished Neurosurgery in the Neurosciences Institute of the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center. To sharpen his skill in neurosurgery, he kept himself updated by attending more trainings abroad namely; St. Louis Missouri Medical Center for Skull Base (1992), Singapore for Neuroendoscopy (1994), Singapore for Stereotactic Surgery (1994), Sweden for Gammaknife Surgery (1994), New Orleans for Updates on Spine Surgery (2009), and South Korea for Spine Intervention (2013).
He shared his knowledge to his co-neurosurgeons in Cebu. In 1995 he made history by performing the first minimally invasive stereotactic surgery in our country, an important milestone in Philippine Neurosurgery. He also used to teach in the different medical schools in Cebu. He organized workshops in Cebu on neuroendoscopy, spine and endovascular surgery. He helped create the Neurosurgical training program together with the late Dr. Benigno Aldana and Dr. Wyben Briones at VSMMC. He is a specialty board examiner of the Philippine Board of Neurosurgeries and a regent of the Philippine College of Surgeons. He became chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery in VSMMC, as well as of the Department of Surgery of CDUH. At present, he is a consultant of Princess Marina Hospital and Bokamoso Private Hospital in Botswana.
His other endeavors include social, infrastructure, environmental, and humanitarian projects. He organized medical-surgical missions in Cebu, Surigao del Sur and Bohol, established the neurosurgical service in Butuan Medical Center in 2005. He put up a college scholarship program in 2002 for poor but deserving students, now with 20 graduates. As the batch president of Clas '77, he spearheaded the raising of funds for the renovation of CIM's Amphitheater 1. He also developed the first sweet seaweed pickle project in the Philippines in partnership with BFAR and DTI, named Lianga Delights. This provided an alternative livelihood for fisherfolks. He also organized the Traffic Accident Volunteers - TAP V in Botswana. It is an organization that educates the youth on the risks of vehicular accidents, since the accidents are said to be the number one cause of death in Botswana.
Despite his busy schedule, he always makes time with his family, conscious of the fact that no amount of success can compensate for failure in the home. He is married to Dr. Imelda Abesamis-Layno, with whom he has 4 children and 2 grandchildren.
CIM is proud to honor the 2014 Most Outstanding Alumnus: Dr. Amado M. Layno Jr.
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| "My advocacy in life is to make a difference to the lives of people around me and to do it without any desire for recognition or remuneration. It is my simple way of glorifying God." -Layno, 2014 |
Written by Dr. Melfer Montoya of Batch 1977
Edited by Dena Mae Amor Desabille of Batch Spectra
