28/03/2026
๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ ๐๐ผ ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ. ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฏ
Someone brought a nurseโs care to the world.
For Meranaw women in healthcare, that story is seen in Dr. Monalinda Maca-antal Macawadib.
From the Mindanao State University โ College of Health Sciences, where she now serves as Assistant Professor IV, her roots remain grounded in Marawi. Her academic path shows a sustained pursuit of excellence, having earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Elementary Education, followed by Master of Arts in Nursing, Master of Arts in Education, and Master in Business Administration, culminating in a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Planning and Management.
She further continues this pursuit as she is currently undertaking a second Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing, reinforcing her love for lifelong learning.
Yet her path expanded far beyond academia, molded by years of clinical and leadership experience in Saudi Arabia, where she earned trust through competence.
Early in her career, she rose as a charge nurse despite being the youngest in her unit, a defining moment that showed her readiness to lead. This same foundation led her to a historic milestone when she was appointed Associate Executive Director of Nursing in a Security Forces Hospital in Saudi Arabia, a role often reserved for Western-trained professionals. In doing so, she became one of the first Filipinas and notably a Meranaw woman to hold such a position.
Today, her work continues where it matters most: at home. As President of the Philippine Nurses Association โ Marawi City and Lanao del Sur Chapter, she leads initiatives in community health, and medical missions, ensuring that her expertise returns to serve the people who molded her.
โNever stop learningโฆ equip yourself, and most importantly, have a voice, because empowerment means being heard.โ
For Dr. Macawadib, this is a response to a history where voices like hers were often unheard. In choosing to speak, to lead, and to rise, she widens the space for others who will follow.
In her story, that voice becomes collective, carrying with it the pride and growing presence of Meranaw women in spaces once beyond reach.
Report by Amer Hussien Mangray
Layout by Mohammad Raffy Gamal