Manila to build cancer center

THE LOCAL government of the country's capital city will start the construction of the Manila Cancer Center (MCC) next month.

Speaking during Thursday's forum of the Manila City Hall Reporters' Association (MACHRA), Manila 5th District Rep. Irwin Tieng said the MCC would be constructed at the Ospital ng Maynila (OM) compound and would be named after the late Governor Benjamin "Kokoy" Romualdez, father of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

Tieng said he and Mayor Honey Lacuna would lead the groundbreaking rites for the five-story building in June, which coincides with the city's foundation anniversary.

The House Speaker, together with the lower chamber's senior officials, other lawmakers, and city officials are set to attend the event.

"Libre po siya sa lahat ng Manilenyo (Its services would be free for all Manilenyos)," Tieng added.

Tieng, meanwhile, thanked Lacuna for her decision to allot 2,000 square meters of land inside the OM compound for the center's construction.

The OM is one of six public hospitals being run by the city government and providing free medical services for Manila residents.

Since the funds for the MCC are limited, it will initially have a CT scan and a linear accelerator to provide patients with non-invasive radiation therapy, the congressman said.

Lacuna, for her part, thanked Tieng for the proposed MCC and for supporting her administration's efforts to provide the widest range of free health services for those who cannot afford them.

Manila will celebrate its 453rd founding anniversary on June 24. (Ferdinand Patinio)