Gov. Dennis G. Pineda and CDC president-CEO Noel Manankil at the signing of the deed of usufruct for the provincial hospital annex at the freeport. Standing as witness are Mabalacat City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo, Vice Gov. Lilia “Nanay” G. Pineda and BCDA president-CEO Vince Dizon. Photo by Bong Lacson
CLARK FREEPORT – An extension of the Diosdado P. Macapagal Memorial Provincial Hospital (DPMMPH) is set to rise at a half-hectare site here as the Pampanga provincial government signed a deed of usufruct with the Clark Development Corp.
Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda signed on behalf of the province while CDC president-CEO Noel Manankil on behalf of the state-owned agency in simple rites Tuesday at the Royce Hotel here.
This, even as a total amount of P230 million was announced as having been allocated and pledged for the construction of the first government hospital at the freeport.
The CDC board, led by its chairman Jose de Jesus, approved the use of a 5,000-square meter property inside the freeport for 25 years. The deed is extendible for 25 more years.
Vince Dizon, president-CEO of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and deputy chief implementer of the national policy against Covid-19, announced that the Pampanga project has been allocated P100 million from the Bayanihan to Heal as One 2.
Governor Pineda said the Capitol has set aside an initial P100 million. Mabalacat City Mayor Cris Garbo pledged P30 million per year for five years for the hospital.
The governor said the concept of a government hospital inside the Clark Freeport came from his mother, Vice Gov. Lilia Pineda, at the time she was still governor.
She was primarily concerned with affording quality health care easily accessible to even ordinary workers at Clark, Governor Pineda said. “Masaya tayo na nagkaroon ito ng kaganapan ngayong tayo naman ang nagsisilbi bilang gobernadora.”
The vice–governor marshalled the sangguniang panlalawigan into approving the project and setting aside funds for it.
The DPMMPH Annex shall provide basic and affordable medical services mainly to Clark employees who are mostly from Pampanga.
Vice Gov. Pineda said the DPMMPH as the first government hospital in Clark will be a legacy of the current CDC board of directors as well as of the sangguniang panlalawigan.
Governor Pineda said the DPMMPH in Clark is “really for workers” who counted 140,000 bef ore the Covid-19 pandemic was declared last March
“Para po ito sa ating mga manggagawa. We must have a healthy workforce to make our families happy, our communities at peace and our economy productive,” Governor Pineda said. “I thank the CDC for helping the Pampanga provincial government in this new track in our health care system.
Clark Freeport has a workforce of 140,000 immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic was declared last March. With Pampanga/PIO
