(Photo from www.mb.com.ph)
7 September 2015, 8:20 pm – THE UNIVERSITY will
confer an honorary doctorate on the founder of Mercury Drug on Sept. 9 at
the Medicine Auditorium.
Mariano Que will
receive a doctorate degree in humanities, honoris causa, for
his involvement in philanthropy and his pioneering effort in the pharmaceutical
industry.
In 1945 during the
Japanese occupation, Que was said to have purchased a “wonder drug”
that enabled the treatment of many illnesses such as pneumonia, gonorrhea and
other infections. As a result, Mercury Drug opened its first branch in Sta.
Cruz, Manila in March 1945.
Within 70 years under
Que’s leadership, Mercury Drug became the largest pharmaceutical retail company
in the Philippines.
Mercury Drug
introduced numerous innovations such as a delivery service in 1948, 24-hour
operations in 1965, computerized temperature control in its central warehouse
in 1967, biological refrigerators to preserve vaccines and other kinds of
medicines in 1969, store expansion throughout the country in 1976, and the
first drive-through outlet in San Juan in 2011.
Through the Mercury
Drug Foundation, programs such as the Operation Bigay Lunas, Bantay Kalusugan,
Pharmacy Scholarship, Gawad Talino, Sagip Talento and Disaster Relief Assistance
were launched.
Que has received
numerous awards such as the Plaque of Merit for being the Most Prestigious
Drugs Manufacturer and Distinguished Civic Leader in 1973, the Award of
Distinction from the Philippine Chamber of Health and Pharmaceutical and
Non-Pharmaceutical Industry in 1986, and “Father of Philippine Health and
Wellness Retailing” from the Philippine Retailers Association in 2012.
Mercury Drug has more
than 1,000 stores and over 11,000 employees nationwide. A. A.
M. Peralta
