Dr. Alfonso 'Ponch' Villaroman was on his way to becoming a surgeon, but thanks to 'a series of fortunate events,' as he puts it, he found the path toward Addiction Medicine, which to date has made him Chief of the Department of Health Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (DoH-TRC).

He admits he had a vague career plan when he was choosing specialties. Whereas surgeons then could easily dream of becoming a chief surgeon at a hospital, becoming the top doctor at a rehabilitation center seemed more unlikely. Why? In the early days, doctors were of the belief that treating any addiction — especially drug addiction — was best left with law enforcers since it is not a disease but a 'malady of society.'