I born in Intramuros, Manila, my family home located just across the Manila Cathedral. my father Bernardo served one term in the Philippine Assembly, representing the province of Tayabas. Three of eight siblings died in infancy,[2] while an older sister died from appendicitis at age 11.[4] It was the death of her older sister, who had made known her desire to become a doctor for the poor, that spurred young del Mundo towards the medical profession.[4]