Damiana Social Ventures

Investing on social enterprises in health and development.

Damiana Social Ventures, or Damiana, is SEC-registered company incorporated in October 2022 with the mission of investing on enterpreneurial ideas that can potentially complement the public health and social welfare goals of the government and society. With its founders' strong background in public health and with educational background in business, Damiana believes that private sector can contribute to achieving universal health coverage and in reducing inequity in the Philippines.

Damiana is named after "Damiana", Dr. JR Ong's grandmother, who is an entrepreneur in a small barangay (village) in Oriental Mindoro, selling different items during her younger years, and even owned a small sari-sari store, to provide for her family.

Our first business venture is the third-party hospital-based TB clinics initiative, a project of Damiana's founder, Dr. JR Ong, under Culion Foundation and funded by StopTB Partnership. The project, which started in 2020, believed that privately-run TB clinics can be a financially sustainable enterprise which can complement the government's TB program, particularly in engaging private sector. The project, with sites in Calapan City (Oriental Mindoro), Zamboanga City, and Pagadian City (Zamboanga del Sur, now closed), is proven to be effective in engaging private sector in the TB program, as reflected by the private physicians' continued referral as well as satisfaction by the local public health managers. In 2023, with a grant from USAID's TB Platforms by URC, this initiative expanded to include a TB clinic in Fe Del Mundo Medical Center in Quezon City.

In 2023, Damiana had its first consultancy work, with Norfil Foundation on midterm evaluation of its project on sexual health rights of children with disabilities.

In 2024, Damiana had its first Philhealth Konsulta-accredited primary clinic, in Fe Del Mundo Medical Center, alongside its TB clinic. Damiana was also accredited for three years by the Professionals Regulations Commission as a provider of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities).

Our Founders

Dr. Alberto "JR" Ong Jr.

Dr. JR Ong has strong background on public health on national and community level, with his passion on applying business concepts in public health and social development.
Professional Background
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  • Executive Director, Alliance for Improving Health Outcomes
  • Doctor of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila
  • Master of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
  • Master in Public Management, Development Academy of the Philippines
  • Social Entrepreneurship Course, University of Oxford

Dr. Romelei "Lei" Camiling-Alfonso

Dr. Lei is stategic management consultant and an advocate of breastfeeding. A specialist in health regulations and climate change, Dr. Lei also has interest in applying business concepts in public health.
Professional Background
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  • Consultant, Alliance for Improving Health Outcomes
  • Consultant, Asian Development Bank
  • Master of Science in Innovation in Business (thesis pending), Asian Institute of Management
  • Doctor of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila

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