Filipino nurses highlight culture of care in Manila global nursing summit

Filipino nurses from different countries have come together to celebrate and share insights on world-class healthcare at the Filipino Nurses Global Summit VI and 15th International Nursing Conference at Conrad Hotel in Pasay City.

The two-day event kicked off Thursday with the participation of Filipino nurses from the United States, Australia, Canada, Guam, Iceland, India, Ireland, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines. 

A parade of nations served as the curtain raiser—highlighting the diaspora of Filipino nurses and their impact on global healthcare. Several marchers wore traditional Filipino attire to showcase the event's unique blend of cultures.

In her welcome remarks, Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) President Dr. Rosana Grace Belo-Delariarte said countries understand that Filipino nurses provide top quality healthcare, wherever they are in the globe.

"When we speak of beyond borders, we are not just talking about geography, we are talking about Filipino heart, the Bayanihan spirit, the peace in hospitals from Manila to Manhattan, from Riyadh to London, and everywhere in between… The world has looked to the Philippines as a primary source of nursing care excellence, and every corner of the world," Belo-Delariarte said.

"Filipino nursing is synonymous with a deep brand of care, one that balances world-class technical proficiency with an innate malasakit, or deep concern, that is woven into our cultural DNA," she added.

The PNAA opens the Filipino Nurses Global Summit IV and the 15th International Nursing Conference with delegations of Filipino nurses from different countries worldwide. @gmanews @gmanewsbreaking pic.twitter.com/o8o26LvJ55

— Jiselle Casucian (@jaycecasucian) January 22, 2026

Belo-Deliarte stressed that care culture is an important part of the Filipino culture and is integral in their daily work as quality Filipino nurses who have become "architects of health systems" in different countries.

"Today, we are shifting the narrative. We are no longer just providers of care. We are architects of health systems. We are influencing policy. We are leading research. We are innovating at the bedside and in the courtroom… Let us remember that while borders may define countries, they do not limit our compassion or our expertise. Filipino nurses are the backbone of global health care, and together, we are the force driving its transformation," she added.

Philippine Sports Commission Commissioner Olivia Bong Coo delivered the keynote speech, stressing the bond shared by sports and physical activity in maintaining global health and wellness.

"In every case, healthcare professionals make sustained performance possible... At the center of all these services are nurses," Coo said.

"In nursing, the crown is kept, and every life protected, and every patient comforted… Thank you for your service, your sacrifice away from home, [and] your care that sustains lives," the PSC chair added.

Nursing challenges

Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) President Dr. Marlon Saria emphasized the importance of continuous learning for Filipino nurses through events such as the Global Summit.

"It is one of those platforms where we can share best practices around the world. We can learn from the US, and the US can learn from the Philippines in terms of how we do our jobs," he said.

"When we gather, we see everything that's happening in terms of nursing practice and taking care of patients across the world, and then that's how we learn and that's how we grow our discipline and our specialty, and that's how we improve ourselves in caring for patients," he added.

Saria said the culture of care was what made Filipino nurses successful and sought for in the medical field.

The PNAA president acknowledged that the nursing community has been encountering issues of short-staffing amid a growing population in need of healthcare, along with the need to adapt to rapidly advancing technologies.

"For the Global Summit, we need to make sure that we elicit the voice of other Filipino nurses… The Philippines is known as the country with the highest per capita nursing graduates, and because of that, we are being viewed as a supplier for the workforce of the entire world," he said.

Filipino nurses as global brand

Former PNAA president Peter Reuben-Calixto said Filipinos nurses are separated from their counterparts because of their culture of family and care, which has already become their global brand.

"One thing different with the Filipinos is that they incorporate the sense of family, (the) emotional component wherein you feel that even if you are delivering the care with your high skills. That component that comes in, talagang masinsinan na care, nararamdaman 'yan eh (That component that comes in, the diligent care, that's truly felt). And that's one thing that cannot be taken away from us because we grew up with that in the family," he said.

Calixto said the consistent Filipino global brand of nursing is well-educated and well-trained, while maintaining an emotional component and a sense of family.

"'Yan ang kaibahan ng Filipino nurses (That is the difference of Filipino nurses). Because of the sense of family. (It's like) automatic, there's no pretension. You cannot pretend to deliver (the) emotional component of care… It comes out automatically or it comes naturally, hindi mo mapepeke 'yan eh (you cannot fake that)," he said.

"The best experience is the ability to make a difference in the situation where that person or family is experiencing because that's why nurses exist. Because we are a part, we were trained to kind of like make the emotional as well as the environment a lot better and the experience of being in healthcare. No matter what your condition is, if you're sick, you are with a Filipino nurse, that makes a difference," he said.

Also at the summit, breakout rooms for discussions on key topics have been scheduled throughout the two-day event.

A poster exhibit was also set up highlighting nursing-focused studies from universities around the world, such as New York University, Stanford Medicine, and Manila Central University.

Among the topics covered in the poster studies were management processes of nursing staff and the impact of gaming as an effective teaching strategy for nursing.

Activity and merchant booths were also prepared for Filipino nurses, including offers for further training and recruitment. — VDV, GMA Integrated News