Nestled in the serene environment of Sta. Filomena, Dipolog City, DMC College Foundation, Inc. (DMCCFI) stands today as one of Zamboanga del Norte’s leading institutions in health sciences, information technology, and the service industry. Its 28,000-square-meter campus houses modern academic buildings, outdoor fields, and green spaces that nurture both learning and community life.

The institution was founded in 1974, when Dr. Raoul Vicente Armada (1936–2021), then a young physician and President of the Zamboanga del Norte Medical Association, recognized the need for a hospital in Dipolog. With the support of fellow medical practitioners, businessmen, and Atty. Alberto P. Concha as legal counsel, investor, and trustee, Dr. Armada spearheaded the establishment of Dipolog Medical Center, Inc. (DMC), a 50-bed general hospital that would become the foundation for DMCCFI.

When the year 2020 opened, everybody thought it was going to be an exciting and fruitful year. But it turned out to be the exact opposite - cataclysmic, unfortunate, and disheartening. Twenty years after the second millennium, the entire world was hit by a major health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people departed from life. So many became ill. Everybody was caught by surprise. One of the worst things about it was no one was prepared to fight a worldwide illness that had no cure.

Scores of patients fighting for their lives queued for the few ventilators in the provincial hospital and Atty. Alberto Concha was one of them. Each family had to wait agonizingly. When the Concha patriarch was about to be intubated, he had taken a turn for the worse and soon succumbed to COVID complications at the age of 81. His family experienced the anguish of loss and helplessness like many others that day. However, they all realized it was a situation where no one was to blame. The doctors and nurses, already overworked and putting themselves at risk in the frontlines, did their utmost best. The family was very much touched by the impeccable care given not only to their father but to other patients in the ICU, despite the number of the very ill patients they were caring for. To them, the workers’ dedication was nothing short of heroic. After Atty. Concha’s death, his surviving family thought that the best way to honor him would be to make a lasting contribution to the province’s strained health care delivery workforce. Zamboanga Del Norte needed more compassionate doctors, nurses and caregivers.

To his children, Atty. Concha had been a model of persistence in achieving one’s aspirations. He was always heard saying, “Have a vision, reach for it, and don’t change course mid-stream.” The story of his rise from being a working student to being a highly respected businessman at the helm of some of the province’s major businesses is an inspiration to not shirk from challenges.

The Concha family acknowledges this is a major undertaking for the school, but they have never been more certain. Furthermore, Atty. Concha believed in the vast potential of the local youth in contributing to the upward mobility of a province he loved dearly. A local medical school would bring opportunities closer and more accessible to many young people aspiring to become doctors.

And so, the idea of putting up a medical school came about. Everyone in the family knew it was a herculean task, but they looked past what seemed like a hurdle and focused on one goal.

The Alberto P. Concha School of Medicine then came to fruition.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus reached the Zamboanga Peninsula on March 24, 2020, when the first case of the disease was confirmed in Zamboanga City. On May 4, 2020, the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Zamboanga Del Norte.

During the COVID crisis of 2020, Dipolog City experienced a surge in cases which overwhelmed its healthcare system. Hospitals were not only at capacity; they were brimming with patients, with some housed in makeshift tents in the parking lots and driveways. All hospital staff, from doctors to the orderlies were pummeled with round-the-clock work of accommodating and caring for COVID patients in highly critical condition.

Deeply religious and closely guided by Msgr. Felix S. Zafra, who facilitated the acquisition of land from the Diocese of Dipolog’s Cor Jesu Seminary, Dr. Raoul Armada envisioned an institution firmly grounded in service, education, and faith. Msgr. Zafra’s pivotal role in shaping the mission of DMC and anchoring it to community values remains a lasting legacy of spiritual and educational leadership.

In its formative years, DMC quickly expanded into education, opening the School of Midwifery in 1976, with Dr. Armada serving as its first President and Principal. He also served as Medical Director, and Head of the Surgery Department until his family relocated to Manila in 1980.

Under successive leadership, the institution continued to evolve. In 1989, with the new Chairman of the board Atty. Alberto P. Concha and Hospital Director Dr. Stephen Yap, the School of Nursing was established and later recognized as a grantee of Johns Hopkins University’s JHPIEGO program in partnership with the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing (ADPCN). This partnership strengthened academic foundations and clinical training resources.

By 1994, the school was formally renamed the Dipolog Medical Center School of Allied Health and Sciences and expanded its offerings to include Physical Therapy, Radiologic Technology, and Medical Technology. Four years later, in 1998, the institution transitioned into a non-profit organization under the name DMC College Foundation, Inc. (DMCCFI), further diversifying into different program offerings along with the establishment of DMC Science High School.

The early 2000s brought graduate-level programs in consortium with Negros Oriental State University, followed by a consultancy agreement with the Lasallian Schools Supervision Office (LASSO) in 2005, which elevated academic standards. In 2007, CHED designated the School of Computer Studies as a Center of Development in Information Technology (COD-IT).

Growth continued with the opening of the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, which earned recognition for top-tier facilities, and the DMC Preschool, established under La Salle supervision. By 2009, TESDA-accredited vocational courses and business programs in Accountancy and Business Administration were added.

Today, DMCCFI offers:

• Doctor of Medicine Program

• 2 Doctorate Programs (in consortium with NORSU)

• 2 Master’s Programs (in consortium with NORSU)

• 1 Master’s Program

• 14 Bachelor’s Degree Programs

• 7 Technical-Vocational Courses

History of DMC College Foundation, Inc.

The Founding of the

Alberto P. Concha School of Medicine

Over the decades, DMC has produced thousands of graduates who have excelled in healthcare, education, business, technology, and public service—locally and internationally. Guided by the vision of its founders, Atty. Alberto P. Concha Sr., Dr. Raoul Armada, Msgr. Felix Zafra, and the pioneering incorporators, the institution continues to embody excellence, service, and faith, remaining a steadfast pillar of education and community development in Zamboanga del Norte and beyond.

The Concha family, having dedicated much of their time to managing DMC College Foundation, often at the expense of their other businesses, can be indirectly credited for contributing to the local health workforce. Yet, Atty. Concha’s widow Filomena and their children, who sit at the board of the school, feel they can do more. Their father had always taught them that the best way to be remembered is not simply to aspire for greatness but to contribute to humanity and to do everything in one’s power and ability to transform the world. A medical school would be the realization of a visionary’s dream, though sadly, Atty. Concha did not live long enough to see it.

Built Like a Real Hospital

Housed in a former hospital (Dipolog Medical Center) complete with ER, ICU, NICU, OR, and DR setups that are perfect for hands-on learning.

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