THE Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City achieved not just one milestone but two within two days, after its departments performed first-of-its-kind procedures in Mindanao and the country.
On February 7, 2026, SPMC’s Institute of Clinical Neurosciences conducted Mindanao’s first Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery on a patient with X-linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism (XDP), also known as Lubag.
The procedure utilized a state-of-the-art Medtronic deep-brain stimulation system, making it the first-ever DBS surgery in the Philippines performed using such equipment.
In an interview with Institute of Clinical Neurosciences chairperson Dr. Jose Nicanor Del Rosario III on Saturday, he said the procedure is very similar to placing a “pacemaker in the heart.”
“Ito is like a pacemaker in the brain, where you put electrodes into the deep part of the brain to modulate neural dysfunctional circuitry,” Dr. Del Rosario said.
The procedure was conducted in partnership with the Cardinal Santos Medical Center Brain and Spine Center and was performed by its team, composed of Dr. Jose Aguilar, Dr. Theodor Vesagas, Dr. Levi Maliwat, and SPMC’s Dr. Joselv Albano.
X-linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism (XDP) is unique to Filipinos, as those afflicted with the disorder generally trace their genetics back to Panay. Male Filipinos are primarily affected because the condition is caused by a genetic mutation in the TAF1 gene on the X chromosome and is inherited in an X-linked recessive pattern, meaning it mainly affects males. Females are typically carriers of the disorder.
In simple terms, XDP affects only male Filipinos because of where the gene is located and how it is passed down. The disorder is carried on the X chromosome. Men have one X and one Y chromosome (XY), while women have two X chromosomes (XX). Since XDP is caused by a faulty gene on the X chromosome, a man who inherits the affected X will develop the disease because there is no second X to compensate. In contrast, women usually do not develop symptoms because the healthy X chromosome can offset the defective one, making them carriers instead. This explains why men manifest symptoms while women generally do not.
SPMC thanked its movement disorder specialist, Dr. Alfand Marl Dy-Closas, neuro-anesthesiologist Dr. Ma. Andriane Colina, and neurology colleagues from Cardinal Santos Medical Center, namely Dr. Rosalia Teleg and Dr. Roland Dominic Jamora.
The procedure was witnessed by SPMC’s Neurosurgery Training Officer Dr. Russel Sasing, Neurosurgery Chairman Emeritus Dr. Silvestre Gonzales, and neurosurgery residents Dr. Sarah Buhian, Dr. Kameela Monique Malbog, and Dr. Fatima Carcueva.
It was also assisted by SPMC’s operative neurosurgery nursing team led by Janelle Althea Ortega and Gabrielle Jovan Salazar, along with Melross Caleda of the Cardinal Santos Medical Center team.
This achievement underscores SPMC’s continued commitment to bringing advanced neurosurgical care closer to Mindanaoans.
The Medtronic deep-brain stimulation system used in the procedure has gained international recognition, including being named among TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025. The procedure represents a significant advancement in neurosurgical care and highlights SPMC’s growing capacity to deliver highly specialized, world-class treatment for rare neurological conditions.
Meanwhile, on Monday, February 9, 2026, SPMC’s Department of Radiological and Imaging Sciences performed its first-ever Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) using the cutting-edge Elekta Versa HD Linear Accelerator on a male patient with meningioma of unknown grade.
Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) are highly precise, image-guided techniques that deliver high-dose radiation to tumors, primarily in the brain, spine, lungs, and liver.
Dr. Maria Lourdes B. Lacanilao, chairperson of the Radiation Oncology Section, said SPMC is the first government hospital in the country to perform the procedure using the Elekta Versa HD Linear Accelerator, doing so ahead of the Philippine General Hospital, the country’s main government medical center.
SPMC radiation oncologist Dr. John Paul Abrina explained that SRS differs from conventional surgery, as it does not require open surgery and involves “no knife.”
“Mga small tumors lang in general… it can deliver precise high-dose radiation so we’re able to treat those affected areas compared to traditional radiation procedures. This allows us to spare normal tissues and prevent side effects from radiation,” said Dr. Abrina, who completed his training abroad.
According to the team, one of the requirements for the procedure is that tumors—whether benign or malignant—should not exceed three centimeters in diameter, and patients must undergo triage to assess tumor eligibility.
Dr. Lacanilao recalled that the advancement was made possible through former President Rodrigo Duterte’s initiative, with assistance from former SPMC chief Dr. Leopoldo Vega, who served as a health undersecretary during the Duterte administration. The bunker housing the Elekta Versa HD Linear Accelerator and other high-end cancer treatment machines, which were also mostly acquired during FPRRD’s term, is located at SPMC’s Cancer Diagnostic Institute Building, established during the former president’s term.
Dr. Lacanilao noted that without the bunker, it would have been impossible for the equipment to be assigned to SPMC.
Drs. Lacanilao and Abrina extended their gratitude to Dr. Ricardo Audan, SPMC chief, for his support and to consultants Dr. Faiqha T. Bagis and Dr. Cyrus B. Estera, as well as Adult Cancer Institute Administrator Dr. Emmanuel B. Mercado.
Also instrumental in the success of the procedure were Drs. Rosa Lea S. Baldevarona, Alvanrhyll P. Ampo, Clyde E. Silverio, Farzy M. Alluden, and Chelsea Kamille F. Fandiñola, along with the department’s medical physicist Jonathan D. Corpus and his staff, Quennie J. Paylaga and Ednarissa Jean D. Dultra.
The procedure was further supported by Radiation Therapists led by Realina B. Archival, along with Celso B. Bueno, Rey R. Imperial, Estifanny A. Macaraeg, Alexis F. Bordas, Frederick Joseph C. Patricio, and Jann Lester A. Quibol, as well as the department’s nursing staff headed by Christine Hannah P. Guarra, Sheila Mae D. Nuevo, Robby William, Juliet G. Baltazar, and Lovely M. Toquero.
With these achievements, SPMC’s Department of Radiological and Imaging Sciences’ vision of being the forefront in providing superior radiation treatments with cutting-edge technology may no longer become just a vision but a reality. CEA