Mayor Maria Angela Garcia, German Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel, Gov. Albert Garcia, Dr. Andreas Klippe, Flood Control Asia CEO and Ma. Fatima Usi, Flood Control Asia executive VP sign memorandum of agreement. Photo by Ernie Esconde
DINALUPIHAN, Bataan – The Federal Republic of Germany in coordination with a German–Filipino flood-protection firm identified on Friday a public hospital here as the second hospital in the country that will receive a grant to protect it from flooding.
Dr. Andreas Klippe, president and chief executive officer of Flood Control Asia RS Corp., named the Jose C. Payumo Memorial District Hospital (JCPMDH) as the next recipient of the German grant after the Philippine General Hospital in Manila.
The flood-protection project for PGH was launched on Dec. 2, 2020. Klippe said the detailed engineering assessment has already been completed for PGH and preparation for the required flood barriers is now underway for installation.
He said that hospitals should be kept flood-free so they can effectively continue to care for Filipinos.
Klippe estimated the cost of the project in Dinalupihan at more than P10 million. He could not say the exact project cost because they have not done the assessment yet.
The German government will chip in 80 percent of the total cost while the rest will come from the Flood Control Asia, Corp., a Filipino–German flood protection company based in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.
He said that they have a lot of flooding in Germany so they know how to face these problems here.
“Hospitals in the Philippines need flood protection because floods equate to existing problems like the damage of equipment and the hardship to move the equipment on the ground floor to the upper floors. There is a higher risk of infection during the flood,” Klippe said.
Through a slide presentation, he showed the benefits from flood-proof hospitals – safety of staff and patients, safety of hospital equipment, keeping out of water germs and continuous delivery of basic health services.
“Coronavirus is another pleasant reason, an important reason to come and reason for the German government to create and establish a world–wide program to provide funding for relevant projects in the fight against Covid-19 to minimize risks of spreading virus,” German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel said.
“We will both overcome the Covid-19 pandemic with our partnership and the flood protection partnership will remain and this is just the starting point and I am proud to be part of it and helpful in accessing and establishing this project and I wish this partnership every success,” the envoy said.
Dinalupihan Mayor Maria Angela Garcia and brother Gov. Albert Garcia were ecstatic over the project and expressed gratitude to the donors.
They said that the German flood-proofing grant will make JCPMDH doubly efficient and responsive to the health care needs of their constituents as it will soon be free from perennial flooding.
“Along with the challenges of being local chief executive are the hazards that we have. Dinalupihan is prone to both landslides and floods. The agricultural side of Dinalupihan is a low, moderate and has high susceptibility in flooding and the upper side is also landslide prone area,” the mayor explained.
She said that the Dinalupihan hospital not only cater to local residents but to patients in the neighboring municipalities of Hermosa and Orani in Bataan and in the nearby provinces of Zambales and Pampanga.
JCPMDH, designated as an HIV treatment facility, is a 70-bed hospital.
The governor said he was very appreciative and excited to hear about the flood-control project in Dinalupihan that is often visited by floods every monsoon season.
“A big part of Dinalupihan are low lying areas. It is located at the foot of the mountain that is why when there are heavy rains, water from the mountains and when there is high tide, water from the ocean converge in Dinalupihan so we experience a lot of floods,” Garcia said.
“You can just imagine how difficult it is for our doctors and nurses, most especially our patients who are seeking medical assistance in our district hospital when it is flooded. This is a welcome development for the municipality of Dinalupihan and the Dinalupihan District Hospital,” the governor added.
