Dr. Jose Antonio Socrates (Doc Soc) was born in 1948 and graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 1974. He was already a trained geologist before that and it was his experience in the field as a geologist when he met an impoverished and ailing old man from a local village tribe in Isabela (province in northern Luzon) who had insisted he was a doctor because he wore spectacles, that he started to wonder if he too (for his brother was already on the way to becoming one) could be a doctor. He likes to think that this old man changed his fate. His idea of being a doctor was never a conventional one. It was mainly to acquire the instrument to heal those especially who cannot afford to pay the conventional doctors. He could never entertain the idea of having a so-called private practice.

He left the country to join the United Nations as a UN Volunteer in 1977 and was posted in Africa. He did not return to the Philippines until 15 years later, during which time he had acquired a medical license and trained in the United States. Then he explored what the United Kingdom's health service had to offer and ended up specialising there in Orthopedics and earning his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. His hospital consultants in the UK were so impressed with his work ethic, dedication and resolve to return to his country that they all decided to help him. They formed the British Palawan Trust whose main objective was to provide health services for the people of Palawan, in particular orthopedics and rehabilitation, and especially to those who could not afford them otherwise.

Thus started Doc Soc's saga in Palawan. He began practicing Orthopedics, eventually building a rehabilitation centre, a prosthetics and a wheelchair workshop. His Orthopedic practice is remarkable in that rarely is surgery necessary for most common injuries. This would earn him the discomfort of other doctors. Hundreds of grateful patients later he has proven that surgery should be a last resort and not the other way around. He likes telling his patients that their broken bones will unite whether they like it or not and that he is basically an instrument to make sure the process of healing is guided properly. Soon he also brought these services to far-flung communities in Palawan, working with local government units.

Doc Soc could not isolate himself from the people's basic health needs. He became involved in public health and created a community-based health program while he was in a position to do so having been designated Provincial Health Officer of Palawan by the then Governor Socrates (no relation).

In 1999 the UP College of Medicine awarded him an Outstanding Alumnus Award and recognized the fact that he was a "brain gain" in the face of the exodus of health professionals from the country. In 2007, in recognition of his work in medicine for the community, the World Health Organisation awarded him the prestigious Sasakawa Health Prize. In 2008 the University Of The Philippines ' Centennial Celebrations awarded him an Outstanding Alumnus Award for his work, in particular for services to those who can least afford them. Finally he has been recognized by an international orthopedic body, the World Orthopedic Concern, for providing excellent orthopedic services where he is most needed.

"Why did you choose to settle in Palawan (after many years practicing abroad)", is a question often asked of Doc Soc. He was born in Ubay, Bohol and grew up in the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman where his parents were Faculty members.

"Because it is the land of my father and forefathers" (all natives of Cuyo, the old capital of Palawan). "I have always felt to be a native son myself. I feel most at home here".