Dr. Alfredo Rafael Antonio Bengzon, neurologist, reformer and former Secretary of Health who helped steer the country’s healthcare system during the fragile years following the restoration of democracy, passed away on Tuesday. He was 90.

Born on 20 October 1935, Bengzon’s life bridged medicine, public service, and academic leadership. Graduating from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, he went on to obtain a degree in Medicine from the University of the Philippines.

In 1972, he obtained a Master of Business Administration degree at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, a pairing of medicine and management that would shape his career in healthcare and institution-building.

Trained as a neurologist, Bengzon distinguished himself not only in clinical practice but also in national life.

After the assassination of opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. in 1983, he joined the growing civic and professional movement resisting authoritarian rule and calling for the restoration of democracy.

He was part of the broad coalition that helped sustain public opposition in the years leading to the 1986 People Power Revolution.

When Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency, she appointed Bengzon as Secretary of Health, serving from 1986 to 1992. During those critical years of rebuilding democracy, he helped guide the country’s healthcare system through reform and transition.

Quiet courage

He also served as Peace Commissioner and vice chair of the Philippine negotiating panel on the US military bases, participating in pivotal discussions on national sovereignty.

In 1992, Bengzon sought a Senate seat, finishing 25th—just 900 votes shy of the last winning slot in one of the closest margins in Philippine electoral history. Though he filed an electoral protest, he later withdrew it and returned to his work strengthening institutions in medicine and education.

He became dean of the Ateneo Graduate School of Business in 1993 and vice president for the university’s professional schools. From 2001 to 2011, he served as president of Ateneo de Manila University, overseeing its academic expansion and institutional development.

Bengzon later served as president and CEO of The Medical City and as dean of the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, shaping a generation of physician-leaders trained in both clinical excellence and public responsibility.

His life, colleagues said, was defined by a quiet courage and principled leadership—in medicine, governance and the defense of democracy.

Dr. Bengzon is mourned by his family, colleagues and students, and by many who admired his steadfast commitment to public service.