The Manila local government said it was forced to allocate an additional P50 million to rectify construction issues in a public hospital project that had become a "white elephant" due to rushed development during the previous administration.
Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan disclosed that the President Corazon C. Aquino General Hospital in Baseco Compound failed to receive a license to operate from the Department of Health (DOH) after it was found to be non-compliant with national healthcare facility standards.
“Taong 2021 nang isinagawa ang groundbreaking ng Baseco Hospital sa ilalim ng nakaraang administrasyon. Subalit hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin ito nabubuksan upang mapakinabangan ng mamamayan (The groundbreaking for the Baseco Hospital was done in 2021 under the previous administration. But until now, it remains unopened and unusable to the public),” she said.
“Sa halip, patuloy ang paglalaan ng pondo para ayusin ang mga maling pagkakagawa nito—kabilang na ang karagdagang ₱50 milyon na inilaan para sa pagsasaayos (Instead, we are forced to continuously funnel funds into correcting poor planning and construction work, including an additional P50 million allocated as of December 20).”
Lacuna-Pangan noted that the hospital was among several infrastructure projects rushed by then-Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso during the 2022 presidential election season, with little regard for long-term feasibility or regulatory compliance.
“Ibig sabihin, mali ang plano. Palpak, dahil minadali noong kasagsagan ng presidential election (This means the planning was flawed. It failed, because it was rushed during the height of the presidential election season),” Lacuna-Pangan said.
“Kung hindi naman popondohan ulit, magiging semento nalang ito habambuhay (If this had been done properly, the city could have saved a significant amount and avoided doubling its expenses).”
The mayor emphasized that public funds should directly benefit the people, not be wasted on improperly executed projects.
She also said the people’s money should be spent on services that truly reach and serve them. .
“This hospital was meant to be a vital healthcare facility for the residents of Baseco. We are doing everything we can to fix it so it can finally provide the free medical services it was intended for.”
Despite the setbacks, Lacuna-Pangan assured the public that her administration is committed to completing and operationalizing the hospital as soon as possible.