Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr led on Monday a briefing and site inspection of a multi-specialty medical center to be built on 5.72-hectares of land in Clark – part of gaming regulator PAGCOR’s efforts to enhance healthcare access in provinces and highly urbanized cities in the country.
Once complete, the center – jointly funded by PAGCOR and Solaire Resort & Casino’s charitable arm Bloomberry Cultural Foundation, Inc (BCFI) – will consist of a heart center, kidney center, cancer center and a children’s hospital, becoming the first-ever regional specialty medical facility in Central Luzon. The land itself has been donated by the Clark Development Corporation (CDC).
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco and other PAGCOR officials joined President Marcos at Monday’s event, alongside House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo, Jr, CDC President Agnes Devanadera, DOH Undersecretary Gloria Balboa and Bloomberry Resorts Corporation Chairman and CEO Enrique Razon.
The regular also confirmed that it and the country’s licensed casinos had committed to procuring necessary state-of-the-art medical equipment for the multi-specialty medical center to ensure the delivery of top-quality healthcare to patients. BCFI will fund construction of the facility, with an initial budget of Php500 million (US$9.2 million) to build the Philippine Heart Center Annex.
“Allow me to extend my gratitude to everyone who has made this project possible,” President Marcos said. “Let us acknowledge the part that has been played by PAGCOR and the Clark Development Corporation as they spearheaded the coordination with the BCDA, the Department of Health, the Provincial Government of Pampanga, and other partners to construct this facility,”
According to PAGCOR, the building of the Philippine Heart Center Annex aims to alleviate the burdens faced by individuals with cardiovascular issues in the region, eliminating the need for them to travel to Metro Manila for specialized medical attention.
It added that the multi-specialty medical center project spearheaded by BCFI and PAGCOR is part of the casino licensees’ provisional obligation to allot a certain portion of their revenues to their Foundations every month to fund projects related to education, cultural heritage, environment and health.
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