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CEBU CITY, Philippines — His whole family moved to New York — his siblings, his parents. But he decided to stay in Cebu.
Dr. Rhoel Dejaño said it plainly, like a decision he made long ago and never looked back on. He wasn’t born in Cebu; he grew up in Ormoc. But somewhere between his college years at Cebu Doctors’ University and his early visits to the city with his grandparents, who ran a rice granary, he found himself rooted here.
“After high school, I came to Cebu. I enrolled in Sacred Heart School, but I had a culture shock,” he said, chuckling. “So I went back to Ormoc. But eventually, I returned here for college. Finished my pre-med and medicine at CDU for seven years. Then went to Manila for training. Even trained in Europe for a while. But always, I came back.”
Dr. Dejaño is a familiar face in Cebu’s sports scene — not as an athlete, but as the man athletes call when they’re hurt and when they need to know their bodies — and sometimes their shattered dreams — can be pieced back together.
Over the past decade, he’s become known not just as a sports physician, but as a quiet innovator in Cebu sports, bringing science-based conditioning to a community that, for years, didn’t prioritize athlete health.
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“When I started, I realized no one really focused on health in sports here. It wasn’t a priority. Athletes were expected to perform, no matter their condition. I knew that had to change.”
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So he set to work — treating athletes from Cesafi teams, standing courtside at basketball games, offering free consultations, and even arranging surgeries for those who couldn’t afford them. Over time, what was once considered “extra” became a movement. Today, most Cesafi teams have their own doctors, trainers, and physical therapists.
“That was the goal. To get people to understand that athletes can’t perform if they’re not healthy. You can’t push a broken body and expect greatness.”
In 2024, the Sportswriters Association of Cebu honored him with the Sportsman of the Year award — also known as the Rico Navarro Trophy. It was a quiet nod to years of service that often went unseen: the long hours in clinics, the pro bono treatments, the belief that someone had to care even when no one asked them to.
That same year, he led the medical team for the Palarong Pambansa when Cebu hosted the national meet. But he didn’t just treat typical injuries — he opened a unique Olympic-style clinic that also addressed athletes’ mental and emotional well-being.
He brought in orthopedic experts, emergency responders, internal medicine doctors, and therapists to form a comprehensive care system during the Palaro. Visiting delegations praised the setup. For Dejaño, it was just doing the job right.
Earlier this year, he also stepped up as chairman of the Cebu City Sports Commission. It was a short stint, but he made it count — organizing two major events that moved away from the usual basketball and volleyball leagues.
One brought together top minds in sports medicine and leadership for a summit. The other, a rare partnership with PHILSPADA, trained coaches and para-athletes, drawing over a hundred participants.
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Now, with a new city mayor taking office, his future as chairman is uncertain. But he’s not worried about titles.
“I’m not after the position. I’m after the service. If you’ve already laid out your programs, they can go on without you. Of course, it’s easier when you’re in a position to push things. But even from the outside, you can still help steer. But it’s completely different when you have the mandate and the authority to implement these programs. It’s easier.”
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He also dreams of producing a Cebuano athlete who can win an Olympic gold medal — despite the overwhelming popularity of basketball. While he respects the sport’s place in Filipino culture, he sees untapped potential elsewhere.
“Cebu is basketball-crazy. The Philippines is. But when you look at the Olympics, there are so many sports where we could shine. We just haven’t explored them yet.”
He has plans — programs for sports development that go beyond the familiar. Programs that introduce Cebuanos to disciplines they’ve never tried, maybe never even heard of. He’s building a pipeline not just for wins, but for wellness, dignity, and long-term success.
“I have a lot of programs in mind, programs for Cebu in terms of sports development, there are things nga wala pa nato na explore sa ato,” Dejaño concluded.
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