CLARK Development Corp. (CDC) expects initial works on the first building of a medical facility to start in the first quarter of next year via funding from Bloomberry Resorts Corp.
CDC President and Chief Executive Officer Agnes VST Devanadera on Thursday said that the building will be part of a P10-billion master plan called the Clark Multi-Specialty Medical Center (CMSMC).
The first building, worth around P1 billion, is expected to be completed within 18 to 24 months at the latest.
“We received the first P500 million from Bloomberry this year and we will be receiving the other P500 million next year,” Ms. Devanadera told reporters on the sidelines of the 49th Philippine Business Conference and Expo.
“That is their corporate social responsibility. It will not go through CDC. It will be directly spent by Bloomberry,” she added.
Ms. Devanadera said the government-owned corporation is still looking for more funding to fulfill the master plan, whose total project cost excludes the cost of equipment.
“Any donor or funder will have to look at the master plan. And usually, they don’t want to share the cost of one building with others. If they have one building, they want that one building to be funded by themselves,” she said.
“As they build the next buildings, the other specialty areas will be open. In the first building will be the common facilities like the pharmacy, administration, finance, and emergency,” she added.
Included in the pipeline of investments coming into the project is the P500 million from the Department of Health that will be used for the next building inside the multi-specialty medical center.
However, she said the project will not be open to private investors because the government would like to have ownership.
Earlier this year, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. vowed to bring quality healthcare services to all Filipinos by establishing more primary healthcare facilities and specialty centers nationwide.
In July, Mr. Marcos conducted the site inspection of the CMSMC, which is said to be constructed in a 5.7-hectare property along Prince Balagtas Ave. in Clark Freeport Zone.
It is expected to serve patients not only from the provinces of Central Luzon but also from the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions and even Metro Manila. — Justine Irish D. Tabile