Aling pag-ibig pa ang hihigit kaya
Sa pagkadalisay at pagkadakila
Gaya ng pag-ibig sa tinubuang lupa?
—Tula ni Andres Bonifacio
Romy and Mona Buerano are among the millions of Filipinos working overseas who have kept the Philippine economy afloat, ever since the first Marcos Administration made exporting our skilled labor a national policy, over half a century ago. The Cory Aquino Administration has rightly extolled our 11 million OFWs and expatriate Pinoys as the New Philippine Heroes–Mga Bagong Bayani. But for the Buerano’s, heroism goes beyond remittances and extends to personal selfless service.
As a young man, Romy’s love of country led him to enlist in the Philippine Army. He saw combat in Jolo and was so seriously injured by Moro snipers that he had to be hospitalized for three months. Mona was a nursing graduate of UST. She and Romy had been high school sweethearts in the tiny 3rd class municipality of Guinayangan, Quezon. Both came from large, tightly knit middle-class families that valued education and traditional Catholic values. All their siblings are professionals like them. After his near-death experience as a soldier, Romy resigned from the military and joined Mona in the States. Their first decade was a struggle with Romy having to take odd jobs such as driving a taxi cab while he earned an MA in computer science, and Mona raising their two daughters, Larissa and Sasha, while working as a nurse.
Sa abang-abang mawalay sa bayan
Gunita ma’y laging sakbibi ng lumbay
Walang alaala’t inaasam-asam
Kundi ang makita’y lupang tinubuan
—Tula ni Andres Bonifacio
Eventually, the Bueranos became US citizens. Yet even as their careers flourished, they never forgot their roots. Romy especially believed that he had been miraculously spared for a higher purpose. The sniper bullets that nearly killed him had passed dangerously close to his cervical spine and lungs, but exited through his arm and leg. As God had given him a new lease on life, it was only fitting that he give back. As their children grew into adulthood and were able to stand on their own, the Bueranos became more active with their church and with the Filipino American Association of Central New Jersey. At St. Anne’s Parish in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, near Princeton, the philanthropist Marsha Brown introduced them to the Friends of Alouette, a French charity founded in 1901, which has an affiliate in the slums of Malibay, Pasay. From such connections, the Bueranos found themselves venturing to other places in the Philippines, such as Maligcong Bontoc and the Iwahig Penal Colony.
As a retired nurse, Mona was a natural fit for Physicians for Peace-Philippines. She appreciates that the multi-specialty missions undertaken by Physicians for Peace-PH alleviate the lack of medical staff, supplies, and infrastructure in the rural Philippines. Thus, the Buerano’s have generously funded Physicians for Peace multi-specialty missions since 2010 and have enabled the donations of valuable medical equipment as well. In recognition of their extraordinary service, the New Jersey Senate gave them the Humanitarian Award in 2013.
To paraphrase Apolinario Mabini, known as the Brains of the first Philippine Revolution: “Do not think that one can serve one’s Country with honor and glory, only from high office. . . this is an error that is very dangerous to the common welfare. . . they are truly patriots, who whatever their station in life, high or low, try to do the greatest possible good to their countrymen.” And doing good is something that retired Fil-Am professionals Romy and Mona Buerano continue to do. By God’s grace, they have influenced other Filipinos overseas to join them in this noble endeavor as well. This year, they held a dinner benefit for Physicians for Peace Philippines and raised US$ 25,000 to cover healthcare missions in three (3) sites of 2026, Tacloban and Ormoc cities, Calapan, Mindoro, and Dinagat Islands.
Mabuhay, Romy & Mona!
Below is the list of missions the Buerano’s have sponsored thus far for Physicians for Peace-Philippines:
- Digos, Davao
- Tagum, Davao
- Guinayangan, Quezon
- Valencia, Dumaguete
- Surigao and Siargao, Mindanao
- Bacolod, Negros Occidental