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On July 17, 2023, President Ferdinand R Marcos, Jr. led the briefing and inspection of the site for a landmark healthcare project that will support the vision of the Chief Executive to improve access to healthcare in provinces and urbanized areas in the Philippines.
The project was undertaken jointly by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and the Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Incorporated. It is part of PAGCor’s commitment to bringing government services closer to people.
PAGCor Chief Executive Officer Alejandro H Tengco, along with other PAGCor officials, joined President Marcos at the event. Also present were House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Special Assistant to President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., CDC president Agnes Devanadera. DOH Undersecretary Gloria Balboa.
The site inspection was organized by PAGCor, BCFI (the corporate social responsibility arm) of Solaire Resort and casino, and the Clark Development Corporation. The complex will include a kidney center, a cancer center, a children’s clinic, and a heart center. It is the first regional specialty medical facility to be built in Central Luzon.
PAGCor, its licensed casinos and the medical center will purchase the necessary medical equipment to provide the best possible healthcare for patients. BCFI will finance the construction of this facility with an initial budget P500,000,000 to build the Philippine Heart Center Annex.
The President expressed his gratitude to PAGCor, its partner agencies and organisations for their contribution to the project.
Marcos expressed his gratitude for all those who made the project possible. Let us recognize the role that PAGCor and Clark Development Corporation played in coordinating with BCDA, Department of Health and Provincial Government of Pampanga and other partners for the construction of this facility.
Tengco thanked BCFI for their funding commitment.
Tengco stated that “the first building was through the BCFI Solaire Resort and casino,” “That medical equipment, and other equipment, is provided by PAGCor along with various integrated Resorts licensed by PAGCor. So, it is a combination.” This is what we call PPP, or Public-Private Partnerships.”
The Philippine Heart Center Annex is being built to ease the burdens of individuals in the region who suffer from cardiovascular problems, and eliminate the need to travel to Metro Manila to receive specialized medical care.
The Philippine General Hospital, which recognizes the importance of healthcare professionals in the operation of multi-specialty hospital, will supervise the staffing to ensure that the facility has a team of highly qualified and dedicated medical experts.
The project to build a multi-specialty hospital, spearheaded by BCFI, PAGCor, is part of the provisional obligation of casino licensees to allocate a portion of their monthly revenues to their foundations to fund projects relating to education, culture heritage, health and environment.
