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 The entry in the Baptismal Record of San Carlos City St. Dominic Catholic Church read innocently enough - Martin P. Posadas, son of Maria and Bernardino Posadas, born November 11, 1921.
But its entry on comments never anticipated that this newborn would live such a full life that would take not just pages but volumes of pages to write. And that someday on March 12, 1994 he would still be running full speed during his investiture as First University President of Virgen Milagrosa.
His classmates at the San Carlos Agricultural School remember him as an avid learner who liked to experiment with bamboo xylophones and learning aids. High schoolmates at the Lingayen Provincial High School knew him as their shy but brilliant Class President who always made a difference in whatever he set out to do. It was not surprising, therefore that when gasoline fuel supplies ran out during the Japanese occupation, he helped his father run their rice and corn mill by inventing a coconut gasifier.
His penchant for inventions and construction led people to believe that he would take up engineering but after finishing his A.B. degree at the University of the Philippines, he decided to take up Medicine at the University of Santo Tomas.
While still a Medical Student young Martin Posadas set his mind on building an educational institution that would offer in San Carlos, Pangasinan, courses that were being offered only in Manila.
But first things first: First, he would marry the girl of his dreams, Rosalina Quebral, who was then a dental student at Centro Escolar University. Then they would build their practice together. Then they would raise a family and put up their "University". All of which they set out to do at such a torrid pace that San Carlos and Pangasinan society could not but sit up and notice.
Not only Pangasinan but Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao sent their children to study at the innovative Virgen Milagrosa School of Midwifery, the first such school outside of Manila. A year later students flocked to the Virgen Milagrosa School of Nursing. As their school grew, the couple's involvement in the civic and religious life of their town, province and region also grew. Name any civic, service or religious organization of note and Dr. Martin P. Posadas would be there - at the top of the heap.
At one point during the Martial Law years he was offered the mayorship of his city on a silver platter. But Dr. Posadas politely refused. He would be an educator, builder and physician first and foremost, a civic leader and statesman, yes - but never a politician.
Still he is able to make his statement heard in the affairs of the region and of the nation. As a Director of the Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board for Region I and Cordilleras he has much to say about labor standards and minimum wage. As Director of the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council and Director of the National Manpower and Youth Council in Region I, he advocates world class quality and productivity. As Director of the Health Research Development Council in Regions I, II and III he occupies a unique position that influences not only health policies but even the trends and standards of medical education. Even in the field of Tourism and Sports Development his ideas are a force to contend with because, unlike others who just talk about problems, he does something about them. Like when he built a twelve-hectare sports facility not only to host the 1995 Palarong Pambansa but especially to train athletes of Region I, and also to provide a venue for sports and tourism development.
How could one man do all the above and still run a big University plus a string of other business establishments? His unflagging strength and energy comes from a deep, abiding faith in God and love for his fellowmen. But he also draws inspirations from his beloved wife and family whose loyalty and support he can always lean on especially in the most difficult and trying times. Indeed, one can say without fear of contradiction that the future of Virgen Milagrosa University is in safe hands because the heirs apparent, Dr. Ma. Lilia and Dr. Angelo Juan and their children are getting the best hands-on training from no less than the winning team of Dr. Martin P. Posadas and Dr. Rosalina Q. Posadas.
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