HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL

With AC Health and their Healthway Medical Network leading the way, the very first dedicated cancer care hospital in the Philippines should be operational by the fourth quarter of this year. Located at the South Union Drive of Arca South; the Healthway Cancer Care Hospital (HCCH) will be a significant catalyst for improving access to quality and affordable cancer care for all Filipinos. Back in late June, along with MBrand’s Irish Lorenzo, I had the opportunity to do a walk-through of the hospital, upon the invitation of AC Health President & CEO Paolo Borromeo. And this was an extremely fortuitous invitation, as it was also the morning that Paolo would be showing the hospital to Jaime Z. Urquijo, updating him on it’s progress. On board to take us around were architect Dan Lichauco, and AC Health’s Kaye Y. Recto. *TOURING THE soon-to-open facilities, AC Health’s Paolo Borromeo and Kaye Recto, with AC’s Jaime Urquijo, and Architect Dan Lichauco.*
And I loved that it was Dan who’s on top of this HCCH project, as besides being a friend for decades; the HWAO (Helping Women And Others) Foundation that’s led by my elder sister and her close friends, had done their last project, the PGH Chemotherapy Preparation Room, with Dan. Estee Lauder and Security Bank were the HWAO partners on the Chemo Prep Room, and it was Dan who was super-strict about the standards and specs of the room, as he wanted to be sure it was both state of the art, and super-safe. It’s envisioned to be a 100-bed hospital, led by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, fully equipped to help manage patients with cancer across the continuum of care. And when we talk “continuum,” that means the hospital will address a wide range of oncologic issues, from screening and diagnosis, to treatment, management, and end-of-life care. Facilities beyond the 100-bed, would be a 12-bed ICU section, 4 operating theatres, and 18 chemotherapy infusion chairs. *THE HEALTHWAY Cancer Care Hospital, which should be the first of its kind in our country.*
The Cancer Imaging Center will be equipped with PET-CT, MRI, CT Scan, Gamma Camera and X-Ray machines. The Cancer Treatment Units are Linear Accelerators and a CT Simulator. The latest in medical Technology and digitization is provided via HCCH’s partnership with Cancer Treatment Services International, Inc., Siemens Healthineers, and Varian. And I liked how Dan was explaining that from the reception areas, to the wards, and the post-treatment section - what privacy and respect for what each patient could be undergoing, are made integral to the thought process behind the design and spatial distribution. Each detail, down to the color of the walls, have been informed by this design thought process.

Making ‘clean & green’ development happen

True to it’s name, and despite the Damocles sword that’s hanging over it’s very existence, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) continues to live up to its charter, knowing that what it does, directly impacts on the much needed sustainability-driven development our nation craves for. Recently granted a ₱66.7 million funding support, was the Pacific Mactan Renewable Environment Systems Inc. (PMRESI), and this was done under the DBP flagship Sustainable Waste Management for Enhanced Environmental Protection Financing Program (SWEEP). As DBP President & CEO Mike de Jesus mentioned, “DBP recognizes the importance of building sustainable infrastucture to further accelerate environmental protection and economic growth… (and) support innovative technologies and approaches that would advance efficient solid waste management systems and practices.” *DBP PRESIDENT MICHAEL DE JESUS with MITS Coop Chairman Josemarie de los Reyes, at the ceremonial turnover of DBP’s credit support to the transport cooperative.*
PMRESI is the local subsidiary of Canada-based EnEco WTE Pacific Inc., that pioneered the entry of a waste gasifier tech in our country called Thermal Oxidation Process System - it decomposes carbon-based components of waste, reducing its volume by 97 percent. In Iloilo, DBP credit support of ₱367.72 million goes to the transport cooperative, Metro Iloilo Transport Service Cooperative (MITS Coop), for the acquisition of 148 EURO-compliant PUJ’s that will be deployed to seven routes in Iloilo City; promoting safer, more efficient, and greener public transportation. This support, De Jesus said, “… reflects our firm resolve to support the implementation of the National Government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUMVP).” As the eighth largest bank in the country in terms of assets, DBP prioritizes four strategic sectors of our economy – infrastructure and logistics, MSME’s, social services, and community development. As of June 2023, DBP has approved 104 accounts under the PASADA (Program Assistance to Support Alternative Driving Approaches) Program.