A happy ending for sick children, homeless Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines - All’s well that ends well.

The bitter tug-of-war over between the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) and the National Housing Authority (NHA) over the 3.7-hectare property where the specialty hospital in Quezon City stands has finally come to a close.

Cheers, instead of jeers, welcomed NHA general manager Chito Cruz as he delivered his message during the signing of a memorandum of agreement for the transfer of ownership of the property to the hospital.

It was a stark contrast to previous scenarios, when Cruz would be the subject of numerous protest actions over the decades-long land dispute.

“During lunch, I remember eating protests for dessert,” he added in Filipino, eliciting laughter from PCMC employees and patients.

Tension over land ownership of the hospital escalated in 2013 after the NHA sent a letter to the PCMC asking for the hospital’s “firm intent” to buy the property from the housing agency. The letter was interpreted as an eviction notice from the NHA, which legally owns the property.

At the time, the housing agency had already sold a 2,500-sqm. portion of the property to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, a government-owned and controlled corporation.

The PCMC administration disputed the sale, saying that the property sold to PIDS houses the hospital’s sewerage treatment plant.

They are the real winners. PCMC patient Van Ryan Malud performs after the signing of the memorandum of agreement. STAR

Cruz had repeatedly denied that his agency would evict the hospital, but maintained that PCMC had to pay for the property in the amount of over P1 billion.

Already struggling to maintain its facilities, the hospital did not have that kind of money.

Meanwhile, Cruz, as head of the agency tasked to provide housing for homeless Filipinos, said they needed the money from the sale of the property to fulfil their mandate.

Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, came to Cruz’s defense, saying that Cruz should not be faulted as his hands are tied by his responsibility as head of the NHA.

Sen. Bam Aquino, who pushed for the conduct of the Senate hearings to discuss the matter, noted that at the end of the day, both the PCMC and NHA – despite their differences – only have one thing in mind: the welfare of their beneficiaries.

The solution to the problem came in the heels of Senate hearings that were held after the Congress relented and provided the funds needed by the PCMC for the purchase of the land.

The Senate hearings also clarified a 1992 land swap deal between the Department of Health (DOH) and the PCMC, which was affirmed as valid by the Department of Education.

The deal, which involved a DOH property in Cebu, lowered the cost of the PCMC property in Quezon City from P1.4 billion to P942 million.

The 2015 General Appropriations Act included a P500-million allocation for the hospital, which will be the first tranche of payment for the NHA. Another P442 million, the second tranche of payment, will be included in the national budget next year.

For its part, the NHA agreed to proceed with the transfer of the ownership even if the total net amount had not yet been paid.

In addition to funds for the purchase of the land, the Congress allotted PCMC an additional P700-million budget for the improvement of its facilities and the construction of a new hospital wing.

PCMC director Julius Lecciones said the new hospital wing will cater to additional service patients and would have modern facilities for the children patients.

Real winners

Although the issue over land ownership was between the PCMC and NHA, neither of the two agencies is claiming victory following the signing of the agreement.

For Lecciones and Cruz, the real winners are the children patients of PCMC and the homeless Filipinos who will receive housing from the NHA.

Accepting the challenge of DOH Secretary Janette Garin to provide better healthcare and ensure PhilHealth membership of the service patients of the specialty hospital, Lecciones expressed gratitude to the public, who backed the hospital in its struggle to acquire ownership of the property.

“This is proof that when it comes to the welfare of our children, Filipinos will come to the rescue,” he said. “Thank you for listening to their little voices.”