Executive Chronicles | JOY — Two Homes, One Heart
Her name is Milagros, but everyone calls her Joy.
Her full name on paper is long and formal: Ma. Milagros Josefina Francesca T. Paguirigan-Kayaban, MD — Fellow, POGS. Fellow, PSUOG.
But to those who know her, she is simply Joy.
The First Miracle
Her parents — her father, an Obstetrician-Gynecologist, and her mother, a teacher — waited eleven long years to have a child.
And then, a miracle happened. Her mother, who had a menstrual period only once a year, did not know she was pregnant. One day her stomach ached. She went to the hospital. She was not sick. She was in labor.
After eleven years, Joy finally came home. That is why she is called Milagros.
Two Homes, One Heart
Joy’s first home was built on a doctor father and a teacher mother — love as both science and service.
Her second home was built from 1967 to 1977 in Mendiola, Manila — at the College of the Holy Spirit ( CHS )
For Joy, Holy Spirit was not just a school. It was her second home. It was there that Veritas in Caritate — Truth in Charity, Truth in Love — was inculcated in our hearts. To be prayerful. To be God-centered. To be obedient.
Our Alma Mater taught us that obedience is not weakness. Obedience is love in action.
The Little Girl Who Brought Honor to CHS — Little Miss Shellane 1968
Even as a little girl, Joy already brought honor to her second home.
In 1968, she was crowned Little Miss Shellane of 1968 — a prestigious national title at that time. There was no other national contest for young girls as prestigious then — judged not just on beauty, but on health, beauty, and intelligence.
And she won it. For herself, for her family, and for College of the Holy Spirit. At a time when national titles were rare and truly honored, this little Scholastican — Holy Spirit girl made her school proud.
That same grace — health, beauty, intelligence — would stay with her through life.
The Girl Who Skipped a Year
Even as a child at College of the Holy Spirit, she was one of only four students accelerated from Grade 6 directly to first year of high school.
She was Literary Editor, President of the Drama Guild, and later Overall UST Champion in English Interpretative Reading and Shakespeare Speech Contest in 1981.
She wanted Mass Communication. But out of obedience, she followed her father into Medicine.
Joy to the World
In De Los Santos Medical Center and Mary Chiles General Hospital — where she has served as Chief of Ob-Gyn Ultrasound since 2008 — the employees know her as an angel. Because she touched lives. Quietly, sincerely, with that same Truth in Charity.
One of her most delicate cases was a half-kilo baby. These are moments that test not just skill, but heart — and prayer.
Adversity to Opportunity
The greatest adversity was when her husband, Atty. Vicente Roy L. Kayaban, Jr., passed away during the pandemic. But the prayerfulness instilled at home and in her second home held her. Joy turned adversity into opportunity.
Her Joy: Jamie, Zia, and Gino
She is Joy to thousands of children — but her greatest joy is her family.
Her daughter Jamie — her only biological child — is a talented digital artist.
Her stepson Gino is now finishing Law — following in the footsteps of his father, Atty. Roy.
Her stepdaughter Zia helps manage their properties.
Three children, three different gifts — art, law, stewardship — all raised with Truth in Charity.
Her Two Passions: Discipline and Fitness — In Honor of Roy
Two passions define her spirit outside medicine.
The first is Traditional Aikido. She is a certified Second Degree Black Belt (Nidan), certified by the Aikikai Foundation in Tokyo, Japan — the result of nine years of dedicated training. Aikido is about harmony and turning force into peace.
The second is hiking and fitness — in honor of her late husband, Atty. Roy. She treks mountains, walks 30 kilometers — every step a tribute, every climb a prayer of love that keeps moving.
The Treasure Unveiled
If you ask Joy about her achievements, she will not tell you. For her, these have always been kept as a golden treasure in her heart. Not shared. Not flaunted. Like Pandora’s box — but not of evils, but of gold.
But the treasure is being unveiled now. Not by her — but by the people who know her.
From Little Miss Shellane 1968, judged on health, beauty, and intelligence — to Milagros Joy who brings health, beauty, and intelligence to thousands of mothers and children.
Her name is Milagros — because she was a miracle after eleven years. Her nickname is Joy. Her foundation is family and College of the Holy Spirit — Veritas in Caritate.
