Doctors? On the runway?

THE Philippine College of Surgeons (PCS) is holding its 88th anniversary gala in collaboration with the Association of Women Surgeons with a fashion show titled Through the Years: A Fashion Gala. The clothes will be made by designer Twinkle Ferraren and the models will be their very own doctors.

Dr. Bernice Navarro, program director for the gala, gave the reason as to why their very own colleagues will be modeling the clothes. “You know, we as surgeons have a deeper desire (to be) somebody else,” she said with laughter. “With this fashion show, we’ll be able to bring out the other talents, or the personalities of the surgeons,” she added. “For somebody who might not be in the medical field, you’ll see your doctor as somebody who’s fixed, straight, conforming to a certain type of personality. But deep inside, there’s a funnier side, or a more laid-back side of a surgeon.”

“Doctors can be glamorous as well,” she said in an interview at the sidelines of a press conference at the Manila Hotel on Oct. 29.

This gala isn’t just for the doctors to be able to play. Proceeds — which would come from donations made during the event, sponsorships, and ticket sales — will be pooled together for the outreach programs of S.U.R.E Commission, the Association of Women Surgeons of the Philippines, and the First 1,000 days Coalition.

Ms. Navarro pointed to a map of the Philippines, modified to show where they have held surgical missions just this year. The free surgeries they have performed for residents of far-flung regions in the country number in the several hundreds (139 were performed in Cagayan alone).

“We’ve already gone to those places. What we do is we coordinate with the local government unit or a particular doctor who is a member of the PCS, who is in that area,” she said.

The fashion shows have been going on since 2016 (with a pause during the pandemic, resuming in 2022). In 2023, they tapped designer Ditta Sandico for the gala. This year, they tapped Twinkle Ferraren, known for her work with local textiles.

Ms. Ferraren will be working with the Through the Years theme, dividing the 27 pieces (worn by 27 doctors) through decades spanning the 1950s through the 2000s. She showed sketches during the press conference, and bolts of the fabric to be used. She will be using familiar fabrics like piña, but also more esoteric selections like pis syabit from Mindanao.

While rooted in Ms. Ferraren’s past work, the decision to use indigenous textiles connects to the various regions the doctors have visited for their surgical missions. “Some of them are from our partner communities that we’ve been working with… but definitely, these are all from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao,” the designer told BusinessWorld.

“The pandemic opened my eyes to the medical world and the doctors, and how there’s this underlying connection that’s not really visible, but it’s there. It’s all connected,” she said.

The gala will be held on Nov. 17, 5 p.m., at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel in Manila. For event sponsorship and ticket inquiries (P5,000 each), contact Michelle Cusi at 0917-840-2598. — Joseph L. Garcia