The city government of Manila on Friday officially opened the Baseco Hospital to extend quality healthcare services accessible to one of the city’s most vulnerable communities.
In his message to residents, Manila Mayor Francisco Moreno Domagoso shared that the hospital will cater to the needs of those living in the geographically isolated part of the city.
“It is interesting to think, I think, in the entire Philippines, I can say that this is the only barangay that has its own hospital… This hospital can serve at least 80,000 people, from Intraport to Baseco,” he said in Filipino.
The three-story, P100 million hospital will cater to an urban poor settlement in Barangay 649, a home to thousands of informal settlers living on reclaimed land by Manila Bay.
The event also marks the opening of the city’s 7th hospital that was named after former President Corazon C. Aquino General Hospital.
“This is also a day of freedom and suffering for our people, that when they need health programs, they will no longer suffer… To honor former President Corazon C. Aquino, in our own little way, no matter what, no politics, we always give credit where it is due,” said Domagoso.
Among the facilities of the hospital include an emergency room, digital x-ray, centralized oxygen supply line, and full departments including maternity, pediatrics, surgery, and internal medicine.
He cited that the use of forged signatures and the false representation of a minor as complainants are acts that strike at the core of the rule of law such that it must be exposed to prevent erosion of public trust in the judicial system.
“On behalf of my clients, I respectfully call upon the Supreme Court, under your leadership, to send the strongest message possible that the Honorable Supreme Court will never tolerate falsification, exploitation, and abuse within its very halls of justice,” he added.
