Tagbilaran’s first cardiologist
Dr. Jane Regner-Ramiro, the heart doctor who shaped cardiology in the province of Bohol, was elected as the pioneering president of the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) Philippine Bohol Chapter.
Bohol is the first province to say “yes” to the challenge of the PHA National to expand local chapters—bringing heart care closer to underserved Filipinos.
Jegner-Ramiro and eight officers, as well as three members were sworn into office by PHA National President Dr. Walid Amil during the PHA Bohol Launching & Induction which merited media coverage on September 21, 2025 at the Grand Ballroom of the MetroCentre Hotel in Tagbilaran City.
The founding officers of PHA Bohol Chapter:
- President: Jane Regner-Ramiro, MD
- Vice President: Kazan Benigno Baluyot, MD
- Secretary: Julia Maape, MD
- Assistant Secretary: Elleen Cunanan, MD,
- Treasurer: Eden Ruth Awil, MD
- Assistant Treasurer: Valerie Ramiro, MD
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Board Members: Baby Kristiane Ricalde, MD; Ivory Rulona, MD; and Janice Sarigumba, MD
Amil said: “You have the distinction of being the first chapter to answer our call. And you are the 14th PHA chapter of the association. By answering the National Board’s flagship call, you are bringing our mission closer to the communities of this beautiful tourism province.”
The Philippine College of Cardiology (PCC) and PHA’s mandates: as a professional/scientific body the PCC can bestow credentials on deserving specialists and ensure quality cardiovascular training and care; as a separate entity engaged in advocacy PHA has been at the frontlines in the war versus the cardiovascular disease (CVD) pandemic that has been making the rounds for the last 35 years.
“I urge you, our new leaders to take this opportunity to create initiatives and implement the PHA’s various programs – from prevention campaigns and continuing education to patient-centered advocacies. Let your chapter be a beacon of service, innovation and compassion as you embark on this journey,” Amil added.
The “bayanihan” spirit is alive and well in the PHA culture through its “Sharing Cardiology” program. In reminding the Bohol cardiologists to keep it going, Amil said “through your chapter, we now have a stronger presence to engage, educate and disseminate the advocacies and the programs of the PHA, not only to the public, but also to the professionals here in the province of Bohol.
Sustain the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)-Ready Philippines (CPR-ReadyPH) campaign; Adopt Schools for Rheumatic Fever/Rheumatic Heart Disease (RF-RHD) Screening and Management; and Adopt Barangays for Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) Screening and Management are at the heart of the newborn Philippine Heart Association (PHA) Bohol Chapter’s initiatives and efforts targeting the grassroots.
Who is Dr. Jane Regner-Ramiro? A newly-minted cardiologist-echocardiographer in 1991, she had qualms about setting up her practice in Tagbilaran because even if the city had a good number of hospitals, they lacked modern facilities and tools.
Dr. Regner-Ramiro
The decision to head home is rooted in a personal one. Regner-Ramiro chose to practice in her province despite scarce facilities and daunting odds because of two good reasons: “because the bible says that married couples should stay together - what God has joined together, let no one separate and my mentor, the late Dr. Homobono ‘HB’ Calleja told me “You have to go back to Bohol and practice there.”
Three decades later, her choice to stay has grown into a movement that now places Bohol at the heart of a battle against CVD. CVD is not just a global and national. “In Region 7 (Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor), CVD is the number one cause of death,” she said.
From day one till today, the dynamic Regner-Ramiro has been a staunch exponent of the PHA-PCC mission-vision. After 34 years of being a passionate and a compassionate clinician, who has taken on other roles that of a mentor, hospital administrator and a CPR czar in Bohol to the hilt, Dr. Jane Regner-Ramiro has gained the admiration of her patients, peers, and staff.
For Amil, the creation of local chapters is both practical and transformative, a flagship project aimed at closing the country’s cardiology gap.
“While Metro Manila has one cardiologist for every 12,000 residents, in the provinces the ratio plunges to one for every 80,000—and some provinces still have none at all”, he declared, adding “our ultimate dream is one cardiologist for every city in the Philippines. By forming chapters like Bohol, we are planting the seeds to make this vision a reality,” Amil said.
