In my last column piece, I wrote about the Senate Spouses Foundation, Inc. (SSFI) and their meeting with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arms of the MVP Group, led by chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP), where the latter presented the conglomerate’s CSR programs and advocacies, to seek ways to collaborate, particularly in supporting the government’s national direction to uplift the quality of life of Filipinos.
Now is the turn of their counterparts in the House of Representatives.
The Congressional Spouses Foundation Inc. (CSFI) is a cause-oriented organization composed of not just the wives and husbands of the members of the House of Representatives, but the mothers, sons, and daughters as well.
The CSFI-19th Congress is currently led by chairperson Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez of Tingog Party List, wife of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez; president Rose Marie “Baby” Arenas, mother of Rep. Maria Rachel Arenas of the Third District of Pangasinan; and chief finance officer former Rep. Evelina Escudero, mother of incumbent Sorsogon First District Rep. Marie Bernadette Escudero.
Just recently, a manifesto of partnership and support was signed by Speaker Romualdez, MVP, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., and the CSFI-19th Congress leadership, to foster the well-being of the Filipino soldier.
First up as a commitment is a state-of-the-art Bagong Bayaning Mandirigma Casualty and Cancer Care Center (BBM CCCC) that will soon rise at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (AFPMC). The BBM CCCC is a modern military medical treatment facility funded collaboratively by CSFI-19th Congress, MERALCO through the One Meralco Foundation under Jeff Tarayao, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. through the Metro Pacific Investments Foundation under Melody del Rosario, and PLDT through the PLDT Smart Foundation under Esther Santos.
The facility’s organizational strengthening and project management will be handled by the Makati Medical Center Hospital, through its Makati Medical Center Foundation under the management of president Dr. Victor Gisbert and executive director Marge Macasaet Barro. With the support of the MakatiMed Foundation, the BBM CCCC is poised to set a new standard in military healthcare.
The manifesto also committed to the donation of essential medical supplies and equipment to the BBM CCCC, as well as for the implementation of strategic and innovative programs designed to ensure the Filipino soldiers’ health security.
“The BBM CCCC represents our combined commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of every Filipino soldier,” according to MVP group chairman Pangilinan. “Through the BBM CCCC, we express our profound gratitude and respect for our soldiers. Salamat at saludo sa lahat ng mga sundalo na patuloy na naglilingkod para sa Pilipinas nating mahal.”
“This project is our way of honoring the brave men and women of the Armed Forces who put their lives on the line for our country,” said CSFI-19th Congress president Arenas.
The BBM CCCC, as the flagship project, will be implemented in two phases: Phase I, set for completion in Nov. 2024, will feature a Casualty and Wound Care Wing dedicated to serving battle casualties and soldiers wounded-in-action. Phase II, scheduled for inauguration in April 2025, will be the dedicated Cancer Care Center for active military personnel and their dependents.
This project has the full support of Romualdez. And rightfully so.