Two medical government institutions will soon get a facelift and provide better services to their patients after the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation turned over to them P93.22 million in financial aid.
Of the amount, P53.22 million was allotted for the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Health Service Command for the construction of a halfway house at the V. Luna Medical Center, formerly V. Luna Hospital.
The five-story halfway house with 35 rooms and 125 beds will be used by the families or watchers of the soldiers confined at the health facility. It will have a provision for a mini bar or convenience store, dining and kitchen and rooms for the patients’ caregivers.
The building is expected to be completed in a year.
AFP Finance Center Acting Commanding Officer Aaron Talens expressed his gratitude to PAGCOR for continuously supporting the AFP.
“We thank PAGCOR for this significant financial aid that will help us build a halfway house for the families of our soldiers who are undergoing medical treatment. PAGCOR has always given us support through the years, even to the bereaved families of our soldiers who perished during the Marawi siege,” Talens said.
AGCOR likewise turned over P40 million to the University of the Philippines Los Baños–University Health Service for the renovation of the UPLB-University Health Services Operating Room Complex, including the upgrade of the hospital’s equipment. The project’s completion is expected within two years.
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo and the members of the PAGCOR board spearheaded the turnover of financial aid.
Domingo said the state-run gaming agency had long been showing its steadfast support to armed personnel who constantly put their lives on the line to protect the safety and welfare of Filipinos.
“We owe the peace and security in our country to our military personnel. They are with us during emergencies, calamities and wars. Helping build this halfway house for their caregivers—in case they are hospitalized—is one of our ways of giving back for their immeasurable service and commitment to our country and to the Filipinos,” she said.
Domingo also stressed the importance of PAGCOR’s financial grant to the UPLB-UHS.
“The UP System has been one of our country’s pride because it produces many of our country’s leaders—both in the public and private sectors. Specifically, UPLB has provided remarkable contributions when it comes to research and development. With our financial support to their healthcare facility, we hope to provide them with quality healthcare services that every Filipino deserves,” she said.
Initially created as a clinic in 1914, the UPLB infirmary became a secondary hospital in 1995 and now caters not only to university students and personnel but also to neighboring communities. The hospital also offers surgical operations and laboratory services, among other things.