Dr. Avelino Aventura Jr is the Executive Director of the Philippine Heart Center (PHC). He specializes in Cardiothoracic and Vascular surgery, focusing on Adult Cardiac Surgery and Aortic Procedures.
He led the 1st Bohol Cardiovascular Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Program of the PHC at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Multi-Specialty Center last week.
On September 21, 2026, he granted the media an exclusive interview conducted by Ardy Araneta-Batoy, the Managing Editor of The Bohol Tribune and Anchorperson of radio programs (Open Forum and Newsmakers at dyTR.
The venue of the interview was at the recently launched VICTORIA FARM in Balilihan, Bohol.
Dr. Avelino Aventura, Executive Director of the Philippine Heart Center {PHC).
Below is the complete transcript of the interview.
Ardy Batoy: We understand doctor that this is a very special trip you’re having in Bohol province. May we know the reason for your travel here?
Dr: Avelino Aventura: Well we are here to capacitate the Multi-Specialty Hospital in Cortes, Bohol by trying to do open heart surgeries. This will at least give a start to the hospital to be able to stand on their own once the processes shall have been done.
Ardy Batoy: Your group is doing a cardiovascular capacity building in Cortes hospital. What is this all about?
Dr. Aventura: It is a mandate of the Philippine Heart Center to spread cardiovascular care and help Filipinos all over the Philippines to try to treat their problems cardiovascular-wise.
Most of the problems of Filipinos and practically all people in the world are usually about cardiac health problem. That’s the number one killer. And it is our mandate to try to help the patients of cardiovascular affected Filipino people.
Ardy A. Batoy (standing) and Dr. Avelino Aventura (seated)
When we started back in 1975, the heart center was tasked to do that. We were doing a few surgeries then, but now, we’re doing 5,000 to 6,000 surgeries. We do about 12,000 plus interventional procedures and this is one of the most in number in the whole of the Philippines.
We’ve been trying to spread it all over. As an apex hospital for cardiovascular care, the hospital is swamped with a lot of patients with long waiting times. So we’ve capacitated other hospitals and tried to do cardiac procedures in the different regions already. We’ve done 18 out of 18. The last one is about few months ago in the Caraga region and this is like another capacity building in the bigger islands
As you know Bohol is 1.4 in population, I believe. Of course, the Boholanos need this Multi-Specialty center. So we’re starting cardiac surgery and procedures in the Gallares hospital at Cortes town.
Ardy Batoy: From your statement a while ago doctor, you said that you will not only be serving people in the Philippines but you’ll be also serving people all over the world. Would you kindly elaborate the matter?
Dr. Aventura: When the heart center started it was actually called the Philippine Heart Center for Asia. That was the vision of the then president and the first lady Imelda to have the Philippine Heart Center as a center for cardiac surgeries and cardiac procedures in the whole of Asia.
In fact we actually were one of the first ones to do open heart surgery in southeast Asia. Even in Asia itself, we are the first one with Japan in the 1970s
The Filipinos are . of course, number one in our list of patients that we need to actually treat. But a lot of patients coming from all over go to the Philippine Heart Center, as well, especially during the time of the 70s and the 80s when we started the Philippine Heart Center.
Ardy Batoy: Thank you! How long, Dr. Aventura, will this cardiovascular capacity building take and how many patients are set to be benefited from this?
Dr. Aventura: Well as of now, today is our first day, we’re doing like five cases. In total we would be doing around 13. In this capacity building will be coming back to help as well because aside from doing surgery, we are also here to help in training our doctors, our nurses, our practitioners and everyone who actually would help or will be part of the cardiovascular care that we will provide here in Gallares Hospital.
The delegation from the PHC, the representatives from Celestino Gal/ares Multi-Specialty Center in Cortes, and the Management and Staff of Victoria Farm led by Familia Chatto.
Ardy Batoy: What is the role of Philippine Heart Center in establishing the heart center at Gallares hospital in Cortes?
Dr. Aventura: The Philippine Heart Center (PHC) is here to help in any which way we can for Gallares to become independent. So we want more independent units or regions that’s why we are capacitating all the regions. We want to deload the PHC of our patients who actually have very, very long waiting times and of course are cramped up in the hospital. So, that’s why we are trying to capacitate all the regions, especially Bohol, for her to be independent and be able to have its own program on cardiovascular treatment
Ardy Batoy : With the support coming from PHC, what do you think can the Boholanos expect from that?
Dr .Aventura: The Philippine Heart Center comes with a a load of experience in cardiovascular care. We’ve been doing cardiac surgery since 1975 until now. We are in our 51st year of existence and actually we are maximizing on our efforts especially our capacity to help our Filipino people.
Now you expect a lot of our doctors and nurses to share their knowledge and their experience with you and the healthcare here in Gallares hospital to be able to provide good healthcare especially in cardiovascular diseases
Ardy Batoy : What is your assessment of the preparedness of the facility including the equipment at Gallares Cortes hospital?
Dr. Aventura: I think Gallares Cortes Hospital is a very very good infrastructure. When I first went to the place a year and a half ago to look at the facilities, operating room, the equipment, I found them to be very good. The hospital is well-equipped actually.
So knowing that the building is really topnotch, we wanted to do the capacity building thing here. With regards to the staff I think they are very eager to learn and that is very important. Of course, the experience is not there yet, that’s why we are here to share our knowledge and experience but the most important thing is their willingness and capacity to learn.
Former Congressman Chatto told me that there is a medical school here and there are already interns. That will be a good building block for our healthcare here in Bohol because when you have already homegrown people and homegrown healthcare professioanls who are from here, they would be willing to stay and do not need to look for work elsewhere. That’s a good breeding ground to provide for the healthcare here in Bohol.
Definitely, when you start out there, there will be gaps. There will be problems. But we are here also to sort of figure out these gaps, identify them and try to fix all of them so that the next time around it will be easier to do these very complicated types of treatment or surgeries.
Ardy Batoy : I would like to remind everyone especially those listening right now that we should never forget the fact that it was a Republic Act that was sponsored and authored by then Congressman Edgar Chatto that built BISU which is Bohol Island State University. It made the college into a university and it has now a medical school that would be producing the first batch of graduates of Medicine from the province of Bohol. Thank you Congressman Edgar Chatto.
By the way, what inspired the PHC to share with us in Bohol the very good services and generosity from your hospital?
Dr. Aventura: When I became the the director of the Philippine Heart Center . a few months later, Secretary Herbosa told me to look at Bohol and find out what’s happening here. He encouraged me to help in setting up the cardiovascular institute or cardiovascular program here.
So I went and I was able to talk to former congressman Chatto and also to the MCC of Gallares Cortes and I inspected the area. I was actually quite happy and really glad that I came because I know that this is a topnotch hospital or infrastructure.
Ardy Batoy : Do other provinces have similar facilities like the one we are having at Cortes?
Dr. Aventura: Yes we have gone to 18 regions already and
I saw a lot of hospitals and a lot of facilities. But this is probably one of the best hospitals with the best facilities around. They are certain that facilities may be bigger and everything will be known in the next few months or years when it is already being in full steam. Yes, I guess this probably is one of the best in facilities and infrastructure.
Ardy Batoy : Can you cite a brief road map about this project especially the people involved until its realization and existence?
Dr. Aventura: As far as I know, more than a decade ago
a start for a multi-specialty center was made. I think Congressman Chatto is one of the principle authors of the bill and it is not just for Bohol but for the whole Philippines that multi-specialty centers are now gaining ground and starting up. Because we have to go to through all of the processes in Congress and the Senate to be able to pass these bills, the specialty centers act by our president BBM is important because this is really trying hard to have all the specialty centers to the different regions.
We actually started the Philippine Heart Center to regionalize with the help of our former directors who started the regional session program and this is how we help the different regions here in the Philippines. I believe Congressman Chatto is the one who tried to make Gallares Multi-Specialty Center to a reality. He is one the one who started the hospital, and even the medical school. That would be one of the strong points that he made for Gallares hospital and the healthcare here in bohol
Ardy Batoy :Your final statement please , Dr Aventura.
Dr. Aventura: Well we’re glad that the Boholanos gave us a very welcoming time here in Bohol. We we love the city. The heart center is here to help every Filipino which way we could. We are actually apolitical. We want to be of help to everybody. We want to help our Boholano brothers and our Filipino brothers. This is our mandate and that’s what we want to achieve to have a better cardiovascular healthcare for all Filipinos.
