Thank you to Speaker of the House, Speaker Martin Romualdez. [Please take your seats.]

The Usec. from the Department of Health, Undersecretary Gloria Balboa; the PAGCOR Chairman Al Tengco [applause] –aba napalakpakan kaagad palibhasa funding…; well, perhaps even the most important element of this PPP that we are talking about is of course our good friend and our benefactor Ricky Razon; the Clark Development Corporation President-CEO Agnes Devanadera; ‘yung pinakamalapad yata ang ngiti ay dahil pangarap niya – ito matagal na naming pinag-uusapan ito at sa wakas mukhang magiging totohanan na, ang ating Vice Gov., Vice Governor Lilia Pineda; all our fellow workers in government; si Sec. Del nandito, Governor, and all of the other local government officials who have joined us here on this extremely important day, good morning to you.

And for us this is a beautiful day dahil kailangan natin ‘yang ulan. Pagka bumabangon ako sa umaga at nakikita kong umuulan ay sinasabi ko sinusuwerte pa rin ang Pilipinas, mahal talaga ng Diyos ang Pilipinas. [applause]

It is of course a great delight for me to come here and to be at the site of the new Clark Multi-Specialty Medical Center, or CMSMC, here now in Clark Freeport Zone in  Pampanga.

The establishment of the CMSMC is not only part of the State of the Nation Address priorities that I laid out last year but is also a very important component of the administration’s Health Facility Enhancement Program (HFEP).

Aside from the enhancement of our health facilities, the HFEP also [aims] to widen access to quality healthcare services, especially to those from underserved communities.

I am happy that the province of Pampanga and Region III will again have this additional medical facility. It will also cater to patients not only from Region III but Regions I, II, and Metro Manila for the specialties in the heart, kidney, cancer, and pediatric ailments.

Allow me to extend my gratitude to everyone who has made this project possible.

We must acknowledge the part that has played by PAGCOR and the Clark Development Corporation as they had spearheaded the efforts in coordination with the BCDA, the Department of Health, the provincial government of Pampanga, and other partners to construct this facility.

Make sure that we continue to collaborate with one another between agencies, keep an open line amongst each other, and ensure the timely completion of this extremely important project.

Rest assured this administration is determined to bring quality healthcare services closer to Filipino people.

We will establish primary healthcare facilities and specialty centers nationwide. I will be reporting to the nation on the progress that we have made in establishing and opening new healthcare centers around the country.

But that is the product of our relentless push for Universal Healthcare and we will not stop until every Filipino can say they have good access to quality healthcare. [applause]

I cannot endure the sight of seeing a fellow Filipino suffer only because of the lack of facilities in our health system.

That is why I urge everyone to be part of the solution and put forward innovative alternatives that you believe can help uplift the lives of our fellowmen.

I think that there are sufficient lessons to be learned from our experience during the pandemic and so that we are able to equip ourselves and prepare ourselves for any such occurrence again. And I cannot forget and the reason that healthcare has been such an important part of this administration not only because of the experience that we have had in the pandemic in the last two to three years but also with the guiding understanding and idea that any person no matter how successful they are in whatever field they have been cannot enjoy that success if they do not also enjoy good health.

And that is why it is a fundamental part of the services that this government will bring to our people. It is not a privilege to have healthcare, it is a right. And that is how we will approach this problem and that is how we will continue to make our healthcare system better for all Filipinos in whatever capacity that we are able to do.

So, this is a – it’s not a single… Although it is a very important milestone for us. This is not a single project that stands on its own alone. This is part of a larger system of healthcare provision that we are putting together to service our kababayans so that they do not have to wait to go – to get very, very sick before they go to the big hospitals. We are bringing healthcare down to the people.

And we will establish rural healthcare units, we will establish barangay centers, we will establish Botika de Barangay, we will go back to that idea. All of these things we are putting together so that at least when it comes to the fundamental healthcare for our countrymen, then that we can say is readily available to them.

We will… Starting from the barangay health workers who play an important part in this system to the RHUs to the provincial hospitals to the tertiary-care level hospitals and to grand multi-specialty medical centers such as here in Clark.

So, let us do our best and make sure that our work redounds to the benefit of Filipinos.

Thank you once again. Congratulations to everyone involved in the project.

Mabuhay ang CMSMC! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat. [applause]

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SOURCE: PCO-PND (Presidential News Desk)