The Medical City & Maxicare Partners on Plant Based Meals for Maxicare wing

Last January 28, 2020, the contract signing between TMC and Maxicare held at TMC, Pasig City

The Medical City (TMC) and Maxicare have partnered to provide whole-meal plant-based menus initially for patients confined at the hospital’s Maxicare wing. Tapped to come up with the menu is Mesa ni Misis, which was founded by Juana Manahan Yupangco with the goal of introducing budget-friendly recipes that mainly use local ingredients and crops farmed locally.

TMC, Maxicare and Mesa ni Misis officials are present durng the contract signing.

At the contract signing activity, lawyer Martin Samson, TMC chief operating officer, said Maxicare and TMC first entered into a partnership 10 years ago with the construction of the Maxicare wing at the 12th floor of the hospital. 

“This is another great idea between longtime friends, and it is an idea whose time has come,” Samson noted. “A whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) menu will not only benefit Maxicare members but other patients, as well as our employees. In fact, we already have employees who have expressed interest to participate in plant-based meal trials so we are thankful for the partnership and the friendship.”

According to Healtline.com, there is no clear definition of what constitutes a WFPB. It is more of a lifestyle because plant-based diets can vary greatly depending on the extent to which a person includes animal products in their diet.

The basic principles of WFPB diet, according to Healthline.com, are as follows:

• Emphasizes whole, minimally processed foods;
• Limits or avoids animal products;
• Focuses on plants, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds and      nuts, which should make up the majority of what is eaten;
• Excludes refined foods like added sugars, white flour and processed oils; and
• Pays special attention to food quality, with many proponents of the WFPB diet      promoting locally sourced, organic food whenever possible.

Mr. Roberto Macasaet Jr., Maxicare Chairman of the Board

It was Roberto Macasaet Jr., Maxicare Chairman of the Board, who was one of the proponents of adopting the plant-based diet, having transitioned to that diet nearly two-and-a-half years ago. He pointed out that the benefits of going to the WFPB diet “are pretty clear to me and it is essentially a lifestyle modification program whose time has come.”

“If you are looking at the health perspective, the menu would definitely be a benefit to you and, at the same time, to the planet and animals,” he said. “In the end, it is an individual choice but clearly I feel that once the evidence is presented, read, and discussed and understood, the opportunity to avail of a whole-food, plant-based diet will transform your lives.”

“This is not just about our advocacy. It is really about trying to make an impact in the world where we work, where we live in and I think this is a good opportunity for us to get this started right away,” Ramos said.

Here are some of the yummy and guilt-free dishes they offer:

Those who attended the contract signing agreement had the opportunity to taste dishes that were prepared using the menu provided by Mesa ni Misis. Dishes that were served that day include Vegan Mechado, mushroom mdobo, Thai-inspired sigarilyas, laing with black beans, mongggo guisado with dahon ng Sili and fresh lumpia with garlic sauce and crushed peanut.

According to Yupangco, the chefs at TMC have already been trained to cook the recipes prepared by Mesa ni Misis and the chefs have also added their personal touches to the recipes. 

“The whole idea is to show that plant-based eating is accessible for us Filipinos, and it is healthy and not expensive at all,” she said. “If you check our web site, you will find over 40 recipes that cost P250 and below for a family of four.”

I'm self confessed veggie hater, but for this I tried and honestly it really taste so good especially the Mongo Guisado so now I love eating veggies and realize the good benefits to our body and health.


In her plant-based recipes, Yupangco said she makes use of a lot of beans like sitaw, patani, white beans, kadios and red beans, which are the protein sources. Yupangco uses langka as a meat substitute, and coconut oil is her preferred cooking oil.

“In a whole-food plant-based diet, it has minimal oil and if we do use oil, it is coconut oil because it is the most naturally produced oil, grape seed and canola,” she said. “I have also taught the chefs on how to make gisa by just using water.”

She added that she made use of a lot of sauces which add a lot of flavor to the food that they prepare. “If you think about the meat, wala naman lasa ’yung meat by itself. It is all about seasonings and we make use of a lot of sauces and local seasonings, like soy sauce and vinegar,” Yupangco said. “The end goal is to make use of ingredients that are accessible to everybody.”