House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Speaker’s office)

House Speaker Martin Romualdez led on Friday morning, March 8 the groundbreaking of the P3.6-billion Philippine Cancer Center (PCC), a project that struck a chord with him.

In his speech at the event, which took place beside the Philippine Blood Center (PBC) along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, Romualdez shared to common Filipinos in the audience that he knew the feeling of losing a loved one to cancer.

“Alam ko po ang problema ng mga pasyenteng may kanser. Alam ko rin ang sakit ng loob na pinagdadaan ng kanilang pamilya. Marami akong kaibigan, kasama sa trabaho at mga constituents na nasa ganitong sitwasyon,” he said.

(I know the problem of cancer patients. I also know the suffering that their families go through. I have many friends, colleagues, and constituents who are in this situation.)

"Ako mismo may karansan diyan dahil mismong tatay ko ay pumanaw na dahil sa cancer," the Leyte 1st district congressman said.

(I myself have had this experience because my own father passed away due to cancer.)

Speaker Romualdez was referring to the late former Leyte governor Benjamin "Kokoy" Romualdez. The latter died of cancer on Feb. 12, 2012 at the age of 81.

He was the younger brother of former First Lady Imelda Marcos, widow of the late former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

The Speaker pointed out that he is also aware of the high cost of hospitalization and treatment of cancer.

“Hirap humanap ng ospital na abot-kaya. Kung ma-ospital man, walang matulugan ang mga kaanak na nagbabantay. Hindi alam kung saan kukuha ng pambayad para sa pagpapagamot,” he said.

(It's hard to find an affordable hospital. If the patient gets admitted, relatives who look after the patients usually don't have a place to sleep at. They don't know where to scrounge for medicine costs.)

Enter the PCC, a planned 20-story, state-of-the-art hospital that will sit on a 5,000-square-meter lot inside the Blood Bank Complex in Quezon City.

The PCC is envisioned to be a modern teaching and research hospital, with each floor focusing on different types of cancers: hepatic, renal, gastrointestinal, lung, breast, women reproductive organs, skin, and even rare cancers. It will be comprehensive - from diagnosis, treatment, research, and patient support.

“This center is designed to be more than just a hospital. It is envisioned as a comprehensive sanctuary for diagnosis, treatment, research, and patient support - all under one roof," Speaker Romualdez said.

"Our goal is to redefine cancer treatment in the Philippines, integrating the latest medical advancements and fostering collaboration among specialists to provide a world-class environment for our patients,” he noted

He revealed that the center would also include housing facilities for relatives of cancer patients who are caring for them, and for doctors in the provinces who undergo training in the cancel hospital.

The PCC will complete the medical complex built during the first Marcos administration, where specialty hospitals are close to each other: the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, the Philippine Heart Center, the Lung Center, and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.

“Ito po ang misyon ng Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Ito ang misyon na pinagtutulungan nating bigyan ng buhay ngayong araw (This is the mission of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. This is the mission that we will give life to together thia5s day),” he told the crowd.