By Karren Jay G. Asgar
Congratulations, Dr. Rey A. Isidto, on being honored as the winner of the 3rd Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Awards 2024! Your exceptional achievement brings great pride to CPU. Well deserved!
Rey A. Isidto, MD, FPCP, FPSN, an alumnus of Central Philippine University (CPU), recently emerged as the first-place winner at the 3rd Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Awards 2024 with his winning piece in the Creative Nonfiction category entitled “To Remember.”
He began his academic journey at Central Philippine University, starting in kindergarten. He continued his education through the elementary level from 1985 to 1991 and completed his high school years from 1991 to 1995.
“I remember my Centralian days with fondness, because it was a safe haven for me to grow and explore and eventually find my own personal voice. It might seem cliché, but it is important for children to be heard and validated if we want them to eventually grow into mature, thinking adults. I am what I am because of my alma mater,” he shared in an online interview.
For him, CPU was brimming with books—ranging from the libraries to the classrooms. He spent countless afternoons raiding the stacks at the back of Henry Luce with his buddy, Loven Ramos, who is also an artist and writer.
“Spirituality, religion, and a relationship with Jesus Christ was a major part of my childhood, and CPU’s Christian Emphasis Week, among other activities, made sure that it was in the forefront of my consciousness,” he added.
Dr. Isidto also shared that the Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Awards for Literature was established by the PCP Foundation to commemorate and honor Dr. Arturo B. Rotor, who was a physician, internist, and an award-winning writer. Dr. Rotor was credited with raising awareness of a rare form of jaundice, which became known as ‘Rotor syndrome.’
“The Rotor Literary Awards is an annual writing competition among all internists. The focus differed annually among the literary crafts. This year, it was on short story and creative nonfiction… Dr. Rotor’s ability to write fictional accounts which were nevertheless a reality to many people has been an inspiration for me to record stories of my own,” he said.
When asked about his winning piece, Dr. Isidto said that clinching first prize felt surreal for him, and he hadn’t expected to win. His creative nonfiction piece entitled “To Remember” focused on a friend who died young, and he wanted to share her story.
“My only aim was to be in the Top 5 to be assured of the posterity. People will read her story and remember her with me. I think I have fulfilled my promise to her. Winning the top spot was truly just another happy outcome,” he emphasized.
The challenge for him, as someone who is an introvert, was that writing the piece demanded a great deal of vulnerability. Writing a Creative Nonfiction piece required him to navigate the full spectrum of emotions experienced throughout the process. It was in the act of opening up and sharing himself that he had to make a conscious decision every day.
Early on, he was aware of his predilection for language, with English as his medium in which CPU, invested heavily in excellent and effective faculty. “It is high time that I should honor them by signifying their names: Grade 1: Ma’am Arandela; Grade 2: Ma’am Hernandez; Grade 3: Ma’am Somes; Grade 4: Ma’am Pagunsan; Grade 5: Ma’am Villanueva; Grade 6: Ma’am Dy Buco; First year: Ma’am Puyogao-Gasataya; Second year: Ma’am Harder; Third year: Sir Dellosde; and Fourth year: Ma’am Puyogao-Gasataya,” he remarked.
When asked if how did the Centralian community help him achieve such recognition, Dr. Isidto noted special mention for his following teachers: Ma’am Arandela, who taught him the connection between sounds and letters; for Ma’am Somes, who often regaled them with stories; for Ma’am Puyogao (now Gasataya), his coach in Spelling; and for Ma’am Felnor Giron, his Central High Echo Adviser and coach during the Regional Secondary Schools’ Press Conference, and later at the NSSPC.
“Please allow me this honor and pleasure to thank you all for being instrumental in my grasp of the English language and the gift of storytelling. Thank you,” he noted.
The advice he would give to the Centralian community is that in writing a Creative Nonfiction piece, it requires a singular dedication to observation and adherence to the truth in storytelling. Writers are adept at finding the marvelous in the mundane and connecting it to human experience. “As a physician, this was a natural thing for me, as we are taught to be astute and truthful in our history taking so we can be guided to the correct diagnosis,” he said.
He also highlighted that it is important to be surrounded by like-minded individuals. “Fortunately, I have many doctor-friends who are writers as well. Significant to mention is my best friend and unforgiving editor, Dr. Elvie Razon-Gonzalez, who herself won the First Prize in Short Story with ‘Munificence,’ which was another category in the 3rd Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Awards for Literature.”
The best advice he can give is to write—not because there is a contest or prizes to be won, but because creative nonfiction has the power to teach us valuable lessons, offering insights into ways that engage both the heart and the mind. As doctor-writers, they are tasked with putting pen to paper and sharing the lessons they have learned, not just with their peers, but with new generations of physicians.
“It is important to write because it is the truthful record of the human experience and the human condition that makes us remember the peculiarities and specialness of our humanity,” he shared.
Dr. Rey A. Isidto’s achievement at the 3rd Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Awards 2024 serves as an inspiration to the community and a reminder of the potential that lies within each Centralian to make a significant impact in their chosen fields.