PhiliPPine Journal of otolaryngology-head and neck Surgery                                                     Vol. 30 no. 1  January – June 2015

PhiliPPine Journal of otolaryngology-head and neck Surgery  71

PASSAGES

Jomar S. Tinaza, MD
 (1969-2015)

Emmanuel Tadeus S. Cruz, MD
Karen Adiel D. Rances, MD

“Every morning you have two choices: Continue to sleep with your dreams
or wake up and chase them.” –  J.S. Tinaza

Dr. Tinaza may not have been Shakespeare, Poe 
or Frost but he was known for his meaningful verses 
which he posted on viber, mundane and profound 
thoughts about life and recent photos he captured 
in his timeline. 

Dr. Jomar S. Tinaza obtained his Doctor of 
Medicine degree from the De La Salle University 
College of Medicine in 1995. He joined the 
Quezon City General Hospital residency training 
program with Dr. Carmina G. Galang in January 
2000. In January 2003, the Philippine Board of 
Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery accredited 
the training program. Dr. Galang graduated in 2004 
while Jomar opted to extend his training for two 
years to complete the four years needed to become 
board-eligible. Hence, Jomar was the first alumnus 
of the QCGH ENT Department. He passed the 
Diplomate exam on Sep 17, 2010. His extended stay was instrumental 
for our full accreditation and Dr. Pascual, his previous training officer 
and chair admired him for his extraordinary ideas and trusted him to 
accomplish certain tasks beyond his comfort zone. 

He saw the potential of a good clinical practice in cosmetic surgery 
and pursued subspecialty training in facial aesthetic surgery under the 
Facial Aesthetic Core of ENT Surgeons (FACES)  in 2010. Afterwards Jomar 
and his wife Amy established the Asian Aesthetic Center in Katipunan 
Ave. He became a visiting and subspecialty consultant in Maxillofacial, 
Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery of the department in 2011. 

As a mentor, he unselfishly shared his skills and diligently assisted 
the residents during surgery working pro bono as a visiting consultant. 
He came early to attend grand rounds, was never satisfied with 
mediocre answers, persistently scrutinizing and demanding precision 
and accuracy. Sometimes his queries may have been perceived as nit-
picking but they certainly echoed the effervescence and eagerness 
of a budding junior consultant plunging into the dynamics of 
clinical discussion. He helped organize   the series of international 
postgraduate courses in Facial Plastic Surgery in QCGH from 2010 – 
2012.

As a consultant, Jomar was a silent worker who actively participated 
and contributed voluntarily.    He co-authored the paper on a case 
series of Tessier patients which is published in the current issue of this 
journal; he assisted in a case of tuberous sclerosis which he proposed as 
a case report to represent the department this year; he was preparing a 

descriptive paper on a case series of rhinoplasty in 
cleft noses; and he helped amputate an Abbe flap 
on a clinical patient with lip cancer, a week before 
he left. He was invited to lecture in a postgraduate 
course at St. Luke’s Medical Center after the PSO-
HNS annual convention and he subsequently gave 
an inspirational talk where he emphasized the value 
of hard work and patience to succeed during the 
residents’ graduation last December.  

One of his passions was photography. He had 
a keen eye for taking pictures of people in action, 
picturesque sceneries and documenting events. 
He even proposed a post-graduate course on 
photography especially in selecting the proper 
angle, exposure and lighting before and after 
cosmetic surgery and showcased a photo exhibit of 
his works.

Jomar treated his patients with compassion and pampered them 
with care with his motto and familiar verse:  Do all things with kindness. 
He was generous and gracious to hospital employees and treated the 
residents as members of an extended family. To break loose from the 
monotony and grime of daily routine, he would often invite residents to 
have dinner in their new house at LGV, share thoughts and perspectives 
about life over a bottle of beer or shots of tequila once in a while dishing 
out songs from his own repertoire. The staff will miss his silly grin 
while holding the microphone during videoke nights at the perennial 
watering hole in Bauschmann cafe. He had a toast for all occasions with 
a pocketful of cheers and stories to tell. One of his favorite lines was, for 
good looks and good life…

Jomar had a penchant for gadgets -- bought gifts especially for 
his wife, he savored food, dining and vacations with his family. As a 
husband, Amy could not ask for more. During the necrological rites, 
she confided that there were times when she would wake up and catch 
Jomar staring at her, giving her the impression that she was the most 
beautiful woman in this world. And to his two sons, Earl and Marcus, 
Jomar was a loving father who woke up early and took them to school, 
securing a brighter future for both of them. 

True to his words, Jomar never slept and chased his dreams. He 
undoubtedly touched many people’s lives along the way. The staff 
grieves and deeply mourns the passing of a fellow, colleague, comrade, 
mentor, brother and friend. His gestures and verses will continue to 
reverberate, long after he has gone.