By AC Putong
Silliman University (SU) launched the Negros Island Region’s first Occupational Therapy (OT) program under the Institute of Rehabilitative Sciences (IRS) for the academic year 2026-2027.
IRS Director Dr. Paolo Jimenez said the lack of OT programs in the region is one of the factors behind why they opened the program.
“One of the driving factors on why it’s also time for an OT program [in SU is] because usually the students who like to [enroll] into OT will either go to Cebu or Manila, and Iloilo,” he said.
According to SU’s program announcement, OT is a health profession that helps enable individuals to participate in daily tasks despite physical, developmental, or psychosocial challenges.
Jimenez said that discussions to implement the program had been ongoing since it was originally established as a department in 1993.
“[The discussions] didn’t really push through. It just so happened that, during my term, I was able to really fix everything and we were able to open [OT],” he said.
Jimenez said the institute originally planned to admit 15 students but accepted 21 enrollees for the pioneering batch, a deliberate buffer to account for possible attrition.
“It’s more manageable to have a small [number] of students so we can make sure that we deliver the program correctly and the students are manageable in size,” Jimenez said.
He added that OT and physical therapy (PT) students currently share general education and basic courses, while attending separate professional courses.
With the addition of the OT program, Jimenez said the IRS plans to pursue college status once the program is further established.
“When you say institute, it’s really specialized and focused, which is what we had before. We [used to specialize] in physical therapy,” Jimenez explained.
Jimenez said that the department also aims to open a Speech-Language Pathology program after the OT program is fully established.
“These are the ones that will work on speech, memory, cognition, [and] obligation. They all tie in together with PT [and] OT,” he said. “Hopefully, down the road, that can be something that can really strengthen our ability, especially within Negros Island, and really serve the population under rehabilitation.”
The program is facilitated by OT Chairperson Charmaine Fevidal and faculty member Maria Menierva Lagria.
