Who’s Who in Bataan – ADELA SANCHEZ BANZON

ADELA SANCHEZ BANZON is a registered nurse from Barangay Tuyo, Balanga who was named “Florence Nightingale of the Philippines” on May 12, 1985 by the International Committee of the Red Cross based in Geneva, Switzerland.

It was the result of her dedicated service as a staff nurse of the Bataan Provincial Hospital (BPH, now Bataan General Hospital) and the Hagonoy Emergency Hospital during the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945.

She was bestowed the same Florence Nightingale Medal Award by the Ministry of Health National League of Nurses Inc. on July 10, 1986.

Ms. Banzon was born in Tuyo on July 5, 1921. A product of Balanga Elementary School and the former Bataan High School, she completed her Nursing course at the University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital School of Nursing in 1942. She passed the board examinations after the Liberation.

In 1955, she was granted scholarships by the National Economic Council, Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Nursing Service Administration of Syracuse University, New York, USA. She had several hospital residency trainings in New York, Illinois, Washington, D.C. and China.

She finished her Master of Arts degree in Nursing at the Far Eastern University- Institute of Graduate Studies in 1968. She was the chief nurse of the BPH (1947-1954), Laguna Provincial Hospital (1954-1958) and Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital (1958-1986). She was also a delegate to the Joint International Congress of International Society of Hematology and Blood Banking held in France and Hungary in 1982.

In addition to the Florence Nightingale award, she was also named “Outstanding Daughter of Balanga” by the HAS Club in April 2002, and was a “Galing Pilipino Movement” awardee in August 2007, courtesy of the City of Balanga led by Mayor Joet Garcia.

She retired from government service on July 6, 1986.