Conference Report: WONCA APR Iloilo 2026

WONCA APR 2026: LEARNING, FRIENDSHIP AND NEW ENERGY IN ILOILO

WONCA APR 2026 brought family doctors from across the Asia Pacific region and beyond to Iloilo City for a week of learning, friendship and renewed purpose. Hosted in conjunction with the 65th Annual Convention of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians, the conference was held under the theme, "Family Physicians Gifted to Give: Hearts that Care for Persons, Family and Community". Iloilo, known as the "City of Love", was an ideal host - warm, organised and generous throughout the week.

For many delegates, the conference spirit began before arrival. On a flight to Manila, a group of South Korean doctors travelling to the Philippines helped save a passenger in a mid-air emergency. It was the kind of story that fit the week well - family doctors stepping forward, working together and doing what needed to be done.

The week began with two days of the PAFP convention, with the WONCA pre-conference activities taking place simultaneously on day two of the PAFP conference:

• Rajakumar Movement preconference for young doctors. The YDM programme added energy from the start and continued to shape the atmosphere of the main conference.
• Working Party and SIG meetings - SIG on Hospice/Supportive Care, Working Party on Education, and Working Party on Rural Practice.
• Regional Council Meeting - significant outcomes included:
  • the election of APR President-Elect Dr Aileen R. Espina,
  • Sabah, Malaysia, as the venue for the 2028 regional conference, with the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia and the Family Medicine Specialist Association of Malaysia as hosts,
  • the Iloilo Conference Declaration on the Core Values of Family Medicine in the Asia Pacific.

The opening ceremony on 25 March set the tone for the days ahead. Filipino delegates and organisers made it clear from the start that this would be a conference with substance, but also heart. Dr Karin Estepa-Garcia, Overall Chair of the Organising Committee, welcomed delegates alongside Dr Josefina Isidro-Lapeña, President of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians, WONCA Asia Pacific Regional President Dr Brian Chang and WONCA World President Dr Viviana Martinez-Bianchi. Dr Aileen R. Espina, who served as WONCA Liaison on the organising structure and played a visible role in the opening programme, helped carry the conference with energy and steadiness from the start.

The welcome night immediately showed what made this gathering special. The Parade of Regions and welcome reception brought delegates into a festival atmosphere with local snacks, drinks and performances, including Dinagyang and Sidlangan dances. It was not a side event. It was one of the clearest expressions of what Filipino hosts brought to the week - pride in place, pride in culture and a genuine desire to welcome colleagues well.

The scientific programme was large and varied. Across the conference there were 216 e-poster presentations, 97 oral presentations, 64 parallel sessions, seven medical and practice tours, four plenary discussions, three keynote speeches, two research policy pitch contests and the Wes Fabb Oration.

The keynote speakers helped frame the wider message of the conference. Dr Susan Pineda-Mercado spoke on how family physicians strengthen health care delivery for persons, families and communities across the Asia Pacific. Dr Viviana Martinez-Bianchi's keynote, "Global Gifts, Shared Mission: The Heart of Family Medicine Across Borders", spoke directly to the international character of the gathering. Dr Karen Flegg addressed planetary health and the need for strong family medicine in that context. Together, these keynote sessions connected local experience with regional and global priorities.

Other plenary sessions also stood out. Speakers including Dr Brian Chang, Dr Zorayda E. Leopando and Dr Josefina Isidro-Lapeña focused on the transformative role of primary care and the central place of family medicine in stronger health systems. The programme also included work on mental health, addiction care, older person care, planetary health, telemedicine, health equity, education and AI in primary care.

The Wes Fabb Oration by Dr Donald Li was one of the major moments of the conference. Dr Li, a past President of WONCA and a long-standing leader in family medicine and public policy, used the oration to reflect on continuity, ageing, wisdom, stewardship and the future direction of family medicine. His speech stayed with delegates because it connected the big pressures facing health systems with the values that keep family medicine grounded in people, relationships and community.

The Research Policy Pitch competitions highlighted emerging voices from across the region. In the student and trainee track, Dr Joher Mendez Jr. placed first for work on paediatric asthma care, followed by Dr Ma. Adelyssa Santos and Dr Lawrence Deligero. In the professional track, Dr Koki Kato placed first, followed by Mr Apolinario Pauig Jr. and Dr Patricia Mendoza. The e-poster awards also reflected the range and quality of work presented, with winners from the Philippines - Dr Nikki Rose Agcaoili, ranked first, and Dr Katrene Cay Acera, ranked third - and Malaysia, including Dr Zuraini Ahmad, among those recognised.

The medical and practice tours gave delegates a chance to see family medicine and community health work more closely. These tours took place on 25 and 26 March and were designed to help delegates learn from local experts while visiting health facilities and community settings. One featured tour focused on planetary health and sustainable hospital practice, ending with a walk along the Iloilo River Esplanade and Dinagyang heritage area. General tour guidance also described visits linked to hospice and palliative care, and preventive and lifestyle medicine. These tours mattered because they showed local work in context, not only on slides.

The gala night at Nelly's Garden was another highlight. The setting in Jaro, the Ilustrado-inspired theme, and the performances by Himig Kwerdas Rondalla Ensemble, Jomel Garcia and Bea Fernandez, and the Sidlangan Dance Company made it a strong closing social event for many delegates. The Heritage Runway fashion show by Filipino designer Hector Gellangarin added another local touch, and the moment when members of the organising team joined the catwalk brought real warmth to the evening.

The conference also recognised major contributions to the region. Dato' Dr Hjh Norsiah binti Hj Ali of Malaysia received the Regional Five Star Doctor Award 2026 for Asia Pacific. WONCA cited her more than three decades of service in primary care, education, policy development and health leadership, including her current role as Director of the Family Health and Development Division at the Ministry of Health Malaysia.

At the closing ceremony, the formal handover was made to the hosts of the 2027 WONCA Asia Pacific Regional Conference. Much like the Olympic flame, the ceremonial WONCA Asia Pacific flag was handed over by the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians to the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians, host of next year's meeting. It was a fitting end to a week focused on relationships and collaboration in the region.

Many delegates leave WONCA conferences feeling recharged. Iloilo was that kind of meeting. It offered new ideas, strong science, honest exchange and the reminder that family medicine is built not only in clinics and classrooms, but also through friendships, shared purpose and collaboration across borders.

Deep thanks go to the many people who made this conference possible, especially Dr Karin Estepa-Garcia, Overall Chair of the Organising Committee, Dr Peter Julian Francisco, Conference Secretary, Dr Leilanie Apostol-Nicodemus, Chair of the Scientific Committee, Dr Josefina Isidro-Lapeña, President of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians, and Dr Michael Angelo Arteza, Chair of The Rajakumar Movement. Thanks as well to Passion8 Events, the Iloilo chapter of PAFP, the venue and events staff, the universities and community sites that welcomed practice visits, the young doctors and students, and the artists and performers who gave the conference so much warmth and life.

The Philippines has a global reputation for hospitality and for the quality of its health workers. In Iloilo, delegates saw both clearly. That is one reason this conference will be remembered for a long time. Another is simpler - people left with more energy to do the work, and to meet again at the next WONCA gathering.

Read the Wes Fabb Oration Read the Rajakumar Report Learn about Hong Kong 2027