Over dinner sometime in April this year, the Chinese Consul General in Davao, Zhao Xiuzhen, mentioned to me that a delegation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) experts from Fujian University was coming to Davao City. I was very excited about this news because when I took a seminar on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in China last year, TCM was one of the things I believe Davao would greatly benefit from.
It so happened that I was in the thick of writing the story of the Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF), the first medical school in Mindanao, for their 50th anniversary this year. In the course of writing its story, I found out that one of DMSF’s founders, Dr. Jesus “Jess” Dela Paz, a champion of primary health care, was inspired by the “barefoot doctors” in China. The term “barefoot doctors” stems from farmers working barefoot in rice paddies while providing care using TCM.
Dr. Jess and his wife, Dr. Trinidad “Trining” Conchu Dela Paz, who were then trustees of the Development of People’s Foundation (DPF), that is part of the consortium that established the DMSF in 1976, conceptualized and implemented the Kauna-unahang Katiwala sa Kalusugan (KKK) or the Primary Trustees of Health. The Katiwala served as volunteer health workers living in the community trained on “proper preventive measures, environmental sanitation, and treatment of simple illnesses that will improve the general health of the community.” They were the primary health care providers, the community’s first responders and trusted to be their first line of defense. The Katiwala later became institutionalized as the Barangay Health Worker (BHW). Yes, it all started in Davao City in the 1970s.
I believe TCM and DMSF will be a good fit because of the school’s (and its training hospital) focus on promoting primary health care. And on July 21-23, 2026, during the visit of TCM experts from Fujian University to Davao City, a partnership was forged.
TCM has actually been around in the Philippines for centuries, woven into our trading history with China. But it wasn’t until 2019, when the China-Philippines TCM Center was established in Metro Manila. It was initiated with the help of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (FJTCM), founded in 1958 as one of the earliest established TCM universities in China. Its reputation for excellence is built on its distinguished faculty and high standards. Its staff includes a national TCM master, internationally recognized TCM doctors, and recipients of top awards (consistent “A” level in national education evaluations).
The TCM center in Metro Manila was the first overseas TCM center from Fujian and the first TCM center in the Philippines. It is a pioneer and is part of the Belt and Road initiative. Its vision is to be a “six-in-one” hub providing: (1) direct treatment and health consultations; (2) promoting wellness and preventive care; (3) training the next generation of TCM practitioners; (4) studying how TCM works and how to apply it effectively; (5) sharing the philosophy and history behind the medicine; and (6) building a sustainable TCM sector in the Philippines.
By partnering with DMSF, which has a strong Institute of Primary Health Care (IPHC), TCM will not only have a base here in Davao, but will expand its reach in Mindanao. This is a good development because simple, practical, and affordable health care will be more accessible to Filipinos, especially in disadvantaged and remote areas.
Traditional Filipino Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine are practically cousins. They have so much in common. They don’t just treat a symptom, they treat the whole person. Both acknowledge the deep connection between physical, mental, and spiritual health. They both believe in a vital life energy that flows through the body. In TCM, it is known as qi (chi) and in Filipino hilot, it is understood through concepts like “lamig” (cold) and “init” (heat) that need to be balanced. For both, health means this energy flows freely. Illness means the energy is blocked or unbalanced.
Both Filipino and Chinese traditions have developed detailed “maps” of the body’s energy pathways. TCM has its meridians and Filipino hilot has its own system of pressure points. In fact, a 1983 study was specifically dedicated to comparing hilot pressure points with acupuncture points.
Both heal through touch. The hands are the primary tools in both systems. Acupuncture uses fine needles to stimulate points along the meridians. Hilot, on the other hand, is a sophisticated therapeutic massage that uses touch to detect imbalances and restore harmony. TCM’s cupping therapy is similar to the Filipino ventosa method.
Both also subscribe to nature’s pharmacy. Herbal medicine is the cornerstone of both Filipino and Chinese medicine. TCM uses remedies like ginseng and astragalus. In the Philippines, our albularyos have long used native plants like lagundi (for cough), sambong (as diuretic), and ampalaya (for diabetes).
Because they are so similar, their potential to enrich each other is immense. This is not about one replacing the other, but about them learning from and strengthening each other. The collaboration also offers economic and educational opportunities. It can boost local wellness tourism and create new enterprises. It can enrich our medical education with a blend of local and Chinese wisdom.
TCM also brings new tools that complement our own. Acupuncture can be highly effective for chronic pain and stroke rehabilitation, while TCM’s diagnostic methods and dietary therapies can offer new solutions to modern health problems.
For years, traditional practices were sometimes dismissed as “poor man’s medicine.” The growing acceptance and integration of TCM, with its established standards and research, helps validate the scientific basis of our own Filipino healing traditions. TCM is actively being studied and integrated into modern healthcare systems worldwide. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has long embraced TCM as essential to primary health care. This provides a model for how Filipino healing arts can be studied, standardized, and integrated into our own national healthcare system, a goal already supported by our existing laws.
The Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act (RA 8423) passed in 1997, officially integrated traditional and alternative medicine into the national health system. As of latest count, over 1,400 registered traditional and alternative medicine practitioners are accredited nationwide, including 30 TCM doctors and more than 1,000 acupuncturists. The Department of Health (DOH) is also pushing “integrative medicine” — combining the best of modern diagnostics with traditional therapies that have stood the test of time.
At the end of the day, health is personal and practical. TCM does not have all the answers. It can’t perform emergency surgery or treat bacterial pneumonia with herbs alone. But it can do something equally valuable — it can give people simple, teachable, affordable tools to take care of themselves and their families between visits to the health center. That’s sharing everyday wisdom, the kind that any barangay health worker can learn and pass on. That is the real value of TCM in Mindanao primary health care. And in this country where every peso counts and every kilometer matters, that kind of healthcare is not just helpful, it is essential.
TCM is embraced by Davaoeños because when it comes to health, cooperation brings better outcomes than competition. And good medicine knows no borders.
