The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) hosted a three-hour workshop titled “Understanding Palliative Care” on November 5, 2025, at the Telengtan Hall. The session aimed to raise awareness and deepen understanding of palliative care—an approach that enhances the quality of life of patients and their families facing life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses through the prevention and relief of suffering.

The workshop provided participants with insights into the philosophy and principles of palliative care, emphasizing the importance of addressing not only physical needs but also emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual well-being. Through interactive discussions and reflection activities, the facilitators guided attendees in exploring how empathy, teamwork, and ethical decision-making contribute to compassionate and dignified caregiving.

The session concluded with an engaging open forum, allowing participants to reflect on how palliative care principles can be applied not only in medical settings but also in everyday interactions with those experiencing pain, loss, or hardship.

Overall, the “Understanding Palliative Care” workshop provided an enlightening and meaningful learning experience that reinforced the value of compassion-centered care and the importance of the human touch in both healthcare and education. A Health Humanities student, Maria Annika Castillo, reflects on this:

In our Health Humanities class on Bodiliness, we learn how people change throughout life and how we care for them must adapt to their needs along the way. From childhood to old age, every stage brings different needs, both physical and emotional.  Palliative care reminds us that those with chronic or life-limiting illnesses are still very much alive, facing not only physical pain but also psychological and spiritual suffering, or what's called “total pain.”

In sterile hospital settings, it’s easy for patients to feel unseen. That’s why palliative care isn’t just the job of professionals; it takes a village. This is where our role begins—not just as future healthcare professionals, but as humans among humans. We need to meet people early, offer support, and be present. Death, after all, is a universal equalizer; it shouldn’t be a taboo topic we walk on eggshells around, and that calls for honesty and compassion.

Organizations like Kythe show how care can be intentional and human-centered. Pain and suffering aren’t simply emotions or bodily responses to stimuli. Our whole realities are involved and impacted. This implies that suffering can compound or be alleviated depending on how we perceive what we’re going through. Thus, it’s important to look at the world we live in today. We have the technology and the biotechnical aspect down, but what about our humanity?  If healthcare is for human beings, we should use human-centered solutions to treat their ailments. What we really need is presence, not just cures. Even as undergrads, we have a role in making that kind of care real.#

(L-R) Dr. Joem Antonio, UA&P Humanities Program Director; Dr. Rhea Jayma, Palliative Care Specialist; Ms. Carolyn Tongco, Kythe, Child Life Program Coordinator; Dr. Agnes Bausa-Claudio, Palliative Care Specialist; Dr. Liza Naranjo, Pedia-Hema Onco Palliative Care Specialist; and Dr. Marion Magsino, Assistant Professor of Philosophy.