MVP’s P500-million prescription

PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan is infusing P500 million for a new building that would help nurse the ailing Makati Medical Center back to financial health. They’ve started the groundbreaking at the parking lot for the seven-story building that would mainly house ambulatory cases. A five-level basement parking is also included in the plans, technically making the building a 12-story affair. Makati Med is also renovating old rooms and installing new special hospital air conditioning units to keep out pollutants in the air like Legionella, a bacterium that can thrive in cooling towers and large air conditioning systems and can cause Legionnaire’s disease, a type of lung infection that can especially afflict the old and those with weak immune systems.

After a losing streak for the past several years, the hospital made P12 million in 2006 and it’s expected that it will make P67 million this year, mainly due to MVP’s multimillion peso business prescriptions. This is certainly good news for the Makati Medical Center, which is one of the oldest private hospitals in Metro Manila. There have been a lot of complaints from people saying they feel even sicker after checking in to the hospital due to the scruffy looking facilities, which give the impression that germs and bacteria have become permanent inhabitants. It looks like Makati Med patients are headed towards a healthier life with the new building designed by Architect Pablo Antonio Jr.

At the rate Manny Pangilinan is going with his involvement in all sorts of activities like the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and other large businesses, and notwithstanding his regular business trips to Hong Kong for First Pacific, he may just need to slow down to keep healthy himself.

* * * Protecting high value targets

A lot of emails came in to my inbox in reaction to our Feb. 6 column item (Going overboard with tourists) about motorcycle cops escorting foreign tourists as they shopped from mall to mall. One email writer pointed out that a number of clowns on the road with unauthorized police escorts get away with it because their vehicles do not have license plates. Whatever happened to the No plate, no travel policy?

One other email I received was questioning why we have to give special VIP treatment to the Ambassador of the United States by providing her a police security convoy. Either the person who was asking was simply naïve and ignorant, or the type who plainly did not like Americans. Well, the answer is really simple. All over the world, special protection is given to the US Ambassador for very obvious reasons: He or she is an obvious target of terrorists and extremists. Even before 9-11, American ambassadors have always been considered high value targets.

This practice of giving protection to the US envoy is being done in most countries especially after 9-11, with the ongoing tension in Iraq and the Middle East. Unlike the self-styled VIPs who think they deserve special attention, the ambassador of a friendly nation like the US must be given full protection. The same goes for other high value targets like the ambassador of Britain, Japan and Israel.

God forbid, if anything should happen to these high value targets the bad publicity cost for this country would be unimaginable.

* * * The Next best thing

IMX Next Mobile president and CEO Mel V. Velarde promises bigger things to come this year with the launching of the company’s new service on Feb. 12 at the Manila Peninsula. This new offering will allow subscribers to make unlimited overseas calls to Canada, the United States and other select countries for only P3,000 a month. For heavy overseas callers, the monthly charge comes along as an attractive package and could rival the low-cost service offerings made by other telecommunications service providers.

This will probably make people take a closer second look at Next Mobile, which is mostly known by Filipinos as Nextel, a provider of two-way radio services, digital mobiles and alphanumeric pagers. I’m not sure whether Mel is related to Mike Velarde, but he can certainly tap a big market out there with Brother Mike’s El Shaddai flock.

* * * Congressional dog pound

We must congratulate ANC for carrying live the House circus the other day during the ethics committee hearing. The coverage showed how Congressmen in this country are behaving it was simply unbelievable. These politicians were snarling and growling at each other, virtually turning the House of Representatives into a dog pound. Every time we see something like this, we get so disheartened giving us a glimpse of where this country is going. Pathetic.

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