Nine years since its inauguration, the Hearing and Dizziness Center has achieved milestones beyond its imagination. From its humble beginnings of having only two chairs and a second-hand audiometer to its name, the Ear Center, as it is frequently called, has grown having state-of-the-art equipment, up-to-date training, ground breaking research and very competent and well-trained staff. It is currently the only accredited center in the Philippines by the International Federation of Otolaryngological Societies (IFOS), International Society of Audiological and Hearing International for the Global Prevention of Deafness and Hearing Impairment; and is one of only ten centers in existence in the world today.

The center is headed by Dr. Norberto V. Martinez, who has just been nominated to become a board member of Hearing International (HI) and is presently the vice-chairman of the National Prevention of Deafness Program of the DOH.

The Hearing and Dizziness Center is steadfast in its pursuits in the field of service, training and research. It has served as a central coordinating unit for all hearing related specialties. It was instrumental in encouraging the Department of Health in establishing the National Prevention of Deafness Program in 1998 through its pioneering work in primary ear care and as well as countless researches in hearing loss.

Over the years, it was responsible for organizing numerous post-graduate courses in audiology with participants coming from all over the country as well as neighboring countries like Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The faculty included world-renowned audiologists from the USA, UK, Australia, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand and Canada.

The activities of the center eventually led to the offering of a Master's Degree in Clinical Audiology. The first course intended to train professional audiologists in the Philippines. In its commitment towards excellence, the center has acquired the Aurical Audiodiagnostic Fitting System with the capability for clinical air, bone and speech audiometry; loudness scaling; SPL audiometry; real ear measurement and hearing instrument testing; NOAH Universal Programming System and HI-PRO Hearing Instrument Programmer. It has also started its outreach program of hearing screening all over the Luzon area in conjunction with other organizations through the use of a mobile audio unit, a donation by the Japanese Embassy.

All these were made possible by the joint effort of the faculty staff of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology led by past chair namely: Dr. Eusebio E. Llamas; Dr. Milagros S. Lopez, who inspired its creation in 1996; Dr. Vicente T. Chiong, and Dr. Benito L. Uy, present chairman; Dr. Ma. Cristina S. Lopez, assistant head of the center for her enormous contributions; and the residents and Ear Center staff who oversee its daily activities.