Medical Missions: Giving Back to the Community

by Elpidio R. Estioko

Most local leaders don’t know about how to give back to the community on a larger scale for the blessings they have received from the Lord so more needy people can benefit from their programs.

My question was answered when I received an email from Dr. Juan Montero, founder and president of the Montero Medical Missions (MMM), which outlined their non-profit organization’s philanthropic medical missions all over the world for more than 13 years now.

That made me realize how deep their missions are which reached out to far-flung rural areas, not only in the Philippines, but countries as far as Mongolia, China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Australia, Costa Rica, Columbia, Peru, Paraguay, Brazil, St. Lucia, Cape Verde, and Uganda.

I also found out, in our exchanged emails, that he is a friend and close acquaintance of my brother Dr. Manuel R. Estioko (Ret.), surgeon/cardiologist, who was one of two surgeons who pioneered the bloodless heart surgery and was medical missions too, just like Dr. Montero.

In his email, he included the 13-year-old enduring Thanksgiving letter penned by MMM founding supporter Janie Lawton, which continues to epitomize the MMM Board’s blessing of gratitude to all its board members, supporters, priceless volunteers, and friends here and abroad.

The Thanksgiving letter goes this way:

“The Lonely Doctor traverses off a beaten path, onto the road less traveled. Despite the uneven, sad, and often dangerous trail, nothing breaks the Lonely Doctor’s persevering march for the quest is noble. Mission work is a deeply human experience. The journey is a lonely one as it is very personal. It all starts from within. A single step. A pair of hands. Along the way, every step taken inspires another and multiplies the pair of hands as others rally behind the Doctor’s benevolent mission.”

This letter became the marching band for MMM’s crusade to help the needy in the countryside.

Dr. Montero took the opportunity to thank their supporters for the abundant generosity of their time and talent they’ve given to Montero Medical Missions.

He said: “I am grateful for all you have done to illuminate our important work and what it means to those who serve. The true act of philanthropy is delivered from the heart and your commitment to our missions defines the depth of all Montero Medical Missions has done so far and will be able to do in the future.”

Since the Philippines was selected as the World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Assembly leader at its May 19-27, 2025 convention in Geneva, MMM plans to have a presence for the last three days to personally meet and discuss withthe Philippine Secretary of Health Dr. Ted Herbosa, the Resolutions working on reading the funding of Mental Health Global and Hyperbaric OxygenTherapy issues.

Dr. Montero feels MMM should have a hand and be part of the crusade for a better and healthier community in partnership with the WHO.

Dr. Montero immigrated to the U.S. from Mindanao, Philippines in 1966. He founded the Montero Medical Missions in 2011.

After training as a surgeon at the University of Virginia Medical School, he settled in Chesapeake, Virginia to practice his medical profession. What followed was several decades of serving the community of Southern Virginia using his surgical skill sets at local hospitals and clinics.

He also became deeply involved with the non-profit Physicians for Peace as a trustee and started to spearhead missions at various locations around the world. It has been his goal to reach out to people in the countryside and take care of their health needs.

He first established Chesapeake Care Clinic in the early 90s with the help of his physician friends and a local bank. Then, he recruited numerous medical personnel and volunteers to staff the free clinic serving the community.

Within a short period of years, his free clinic became self-governing and well-run so that Dr. Montero relinquished the supervisory role to start a new non-profit organization to give back on a larger scale within the U.S., the Philippines, and other countries where extreme lack of medical care causing sufferings exist.

This was the starting point of Montero Medical Mission (MMM) bringing people together from all walks of life from medical, surgical, dental, allied health, and operations backgrounds to attain his vision.

Dr. Montero, we need more people like you! Keep it up and don’t give up on people who are in dire need!

ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO was a veteran journalist in the Philippines and an award-winning journalist here in the US.He has published his book Unlocking the Chain of Poverty: In Pursuit of the American Dream which is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Xlibris Publishing} For feedbacks, comments, … please email author at estiokoelpidio@gmail.com.