The University of Santo Tomas Medical Alumni Association recognized Dr. Antonio Say’s lifelong contribution to medical education in the field of Ophthalmology. USTMAA presented the 2026 Thomasian Outstanding Medical Alumni Award (T.H.O.M.A.S) for Medical Education to Dr. Say during the Association’s 86th Grand Alumni Homecoming held on January 17.
Dr. Say, an ophthalmologist, is known for revolutionizing cataract surgery in the Philippines by introducing “Phacoemulsification” technique to the country. This procedure creates smaller incisions, allowing for a shorter recovery and better visual outcomes.
An educator at heart, he has been teaching as a member of the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery since 1984. In 2021, Dr. Say accepted the post as Executive Director of the Chinese General Hospital Colleges (CGHC), and Chairman of Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC) Department of Graduate Medical Education in 2023.
Among his students and younger colleagues, Dr. Say is a “giant mentor” who is not only generous with his knowledge but also exemplified a compassionate heart in serving patients.
“He does not withhold anything from his students. He is generous both in terms of giving knowledge and giving his resources,” Dr. Rollo Milante, one of his former students, said.
“He is not only an educator; he cares for us as a family,” another student, Dr. Gladness Martinez, added.
Dr. Say believes that in witnessing the struggles of patients with eye diseases, surgeons learn to nurture a compassionate heart that will guide them to serve the community, not for monetary gain but for the satisfaction of easing a patient’s suffering. Teaching by example, he actively joins free clinics for underprivileged patients. His work has brought him to far-flung communities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao and even as far as the impoverished regions in Laos and Cambodia. Each time, he invites his students to participate and teaches the local surgeons his techniques.
“When I was a resident, we had medical missions with him left and right. I think by the end of our residency, we had probably over 50 medical missions,” recalled Dr. Roseny Singson. “He would support us financially, with the equipment, and with the skills that we needed to service the poor people.”
Dr. Say is currently the president of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines Inc., the non-profit organization behind the Tzu Chi Eye Center, an ambulatory clinic serving underprivileged patients.
