“Everyday heroism does not demand grand gestures. Oftentimes, it just requires our genuine commitment to do our part in making this world a much better place.”
IT could have been just another doctor-patient consultation for Dr. Mary Libeney Sito.
Except that the checkup required a grueling trip to the remote village of Buscalan in the town of Tinglayan in the province of Kalinga in November 2023 to meet the patient: the sprightly centenarian, Apo Whang-Od, dubbed the last traditional tattoo artist of her generation.
Sito said she seldom gets starstruck. But meeting the 107-year-old living legend, also known as Maria Oggay, was an entirely different story.
“She was a sight to behold. Despite her age, she exhibits a kind of grace and agility that can only come from a person who has lived a life well-lived.”
“Now I understand why hordes of people travel to this sleepy town just to get inked by this legendary woman,” the 45-year-old doctor said.
As the primary care physician and designated medical officer for the Schools Division Office of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Baguio, Sito said it was a chance meeting with public school education supervisor Belen Yagao, one of the granddaughters of the legendary “mambabatok,” at a local conference that led to her memorable encounter with Whang-Od.
Yagao, 44, said the doctor's willingness to go the extra mile, quite literally, to do a medical checkup on her grandmother for free deeply moved her, especially since Whang-Od does not have a resident doctor.
“My grandmother rarely gets sick because she always eats leafy vegetables. However, when she does require medical attention, it is really challenging, given that the nearest hospital is located in Tabuk City, which is quite far from Buscalan,” she said in the vernacular.
Yagao said it was Whang-Od who broached the idea of Sito becoming her physician to save her the trouble of the challenging hike down the rocky hill for her checkup since she has difficulty walking at her age.
“After Dr. Sito examined her, she asked if she was willing to be given the name Dr. Salliya. When she agreed, my grandmother gave her our traditional attire.
“In our culture, being given our native cloth is a symbol of acceptance and inclusion within our Kalinga community,” Yagao said.
Today, the legendary centenarian is just one of Sito's many patients who constantly avails of her free online and offline medical consultations.
“I was told that Salliya is the famous name of a legendary Kalinga woman who came back to her native town to help the tribe after a successful stint in Manila. I am just so honored to be bestowed that name and be part of the community,” Sito said.
Everyday hero
Known as NayDarna in the online world, a clever take on the words Nanay — given her motherly nature in giving sound medical advice — and Darna — the local superheroine — Sito's career as a medical practitioner spanning 17 years was fraught with so many challenges.
A chronic illness warrior, having battled Takayasu's arteritis, a rare autoimmune disease that affects the major blood vessels, rendering her with right-sided paralysis and partial left eye blindness since 2013, Sito has always channeled her setbacks into a resounding comeback.
“When you have a chronic illness with no cure, it is easy to focus on your hurt and wallow in self-pity,” the mother of two said.
“But the key to finding self-fulfillment is to live for others,” she said.
In 2017, two years after surviving a second stroke, Sito put up L'Care SkinLine, offering affordable skin and body care products.
Three years later, during the height of the pandemic, she co-founded the telemedicine company, OnlineDoc, to make treatment more accessible to people.
Over the years, Sito has received numerous awards and honors for her accomplishments.
In 2019, she was awarded the Golden Globe Annual Awards for Outstanding Achievers. A year later, she was recognized by the same award-giving body for her Outstanding and Significant Achievement in Entrepreneurship and Medicine.
In 2022, she was the recipient of the Gawad Filipino Award and the Exemplary Service Award in the Field of Medicine — Most Inspiring Online Doctor of the Year.
In the same year, she was recognized by the DepEd Diwa ng Bayanihan National Awards for her “Etulay Ni Doc,” an online platform for medical information dissemination.
“People call me NayDarna because to them, I am a superhero, but I always tell them that all of us can be heroes.”
“Everyday heroism does not demand grand gestures. Oftentimes, it just requires our genuine commitment to do our part in making this world a much better place,” Sito said.
PNA
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About me
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
My biggest fear is not loving myself to the point of losing myself, not living up to my full potential or making meaningful contributions to the world. 'Yung mauubos na ako.
WHAT REALLY MAKES YOU ANGRY?
People who constantly lie and those without remorse.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO WORK HARD?
My patients, family and myself.
Find joy and fulfillment in the process of learning and practicing. Appreciate the small improvements and milestones along the way rather than solely seeking external validation or results.
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH THE MOST?
Small things: Watching cartoons “Winnie the Pooh” (certified Poohaholic). Celebrating small victories along the way and being patient with myself as I continue on your journey toward greater mental and emotional well-being.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE SMALL?
I love wearing white, and I pretend that I'm a doctor. And when asked, what do you want to become when you grow up? I proudly say: I want to be a doctor someday. Pero some time in my life, I wished I was an astronaut!
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WON THE LOTTO?
Eighty percent — funds for business and family. Share 20 percent with the less fortunate, with my charity organizations.
IF YOU COULD SHARE A MEAL WITH ANY INDIVIDUAL, LIVING OR DEAD, WHO WOULD THEY BE?
My mother. She died in 2018. I will tell her, “Ma, this is me now.”
WHAT'S THE MOST DARING THING YOU'VE EVER DONE?
Walking 21 kilometers unassisted six years after my stroke. My milestone, indeed.
WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?
“The Courage to Be Disliked” by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga.
WHICH CELEBRITY WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET FOR A CUP OF COFFEE?
Coco Martin, and invite him to go to Buscalan so that Apo Whang-Od can see him in person. Crush na crush niya.
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WILL NEVER DO AGAIN?
Eat super spicy food!
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS?
Sitting and communing with nature at the back of our house with family.
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