In September 1982, the Philippine Heart Association, under the leadership of Dr. Adriano Dela Paz as PHA President and Dr. Romeo Divinagracia as Chairman of the Committee on Councils, initiated the foundation of 10 Councils, with the aim of assisting the PHA to achieve its mission and vision, and with the ultimate goal of improving cardiovascular health in the country.
The 10 councils with their respective Chairmen were the councils on:
• Hypertension (Dr. Dante Morales);
• Coronary Artery Disease and Atherosclerosis (Dr. Ramon Abarquez Jr.);
• Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease (Dr. Andres Reyes Jr.);
• Congenital Heart Disease (Dr. Wilberto Lopez);
• Cardiovascular Surgery (Dr. Avenilo Aventura);
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (Dr. Romeo Divinagracia);
• Cardiac Rehabilitation (Dr. Marcelo Esguerra);
• Preventive Cardiology (Dr. Jose Yason);
• Arrhythmias and Cardiac Pacing (Dr. Ramiro De Guia Jr.); and
• Cardiomyopathies and Cor Pulmonale (Dr. Adriano Dela Paz).
The Councils however remained dormant and did not activate their functions to the fullest until the year 1989 when Dr. Ernesto Namin, then President of the PHA, pushed for their revival to meet the needs of the Filipino people.
Over the years, the number of Councils grew and each showed revitalized activity with all the members well aware of their objectives. In addition to the original 10, the Councils on Cardiovascular Anesthesia (formed 1989), Stroke and Peripheral Vascular Disease (1989), Congestive Heart Failure (1997), Cardiac Catheterization and Intervention (1997), and Echocardiography (1997) were created.
In 2005, under the helm of Dr. Esperanza Cabral as Chair, and with the objective of addressing the specific cardiovascular health needs of women, the Council on Women’s Health was created.
The creation of the Council on Cardiovascular Imaging was for the purpose of educating physicians on the various roles of magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and nuclear imaging modalities in the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases.
In the last quarter of 2017, the Councils on Cardio-Oncology, Pharmacotherapy and Cardiovascular Nursing were created to meet the rapidly advancing pace of scientific developments in the different fields under cardiovascular medicine.
