AFP hospital opens new trauma care center
V. LUNA UPGRADE The country’s main military hospital sees a major upgrade with the inauguration of the Bagong Bayaning Mandirigma Casualty Care Center. —Contributed photos
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center, also known as the V. Luna General Hospital in Quezon City, recently inaugurated a new facility for troops wounded in action.
The Bagong Bayaning Mandirigma Casualty Care Center (BBM CCC) was set up by the One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the corporate social responsibility arm of the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Company (Meralco), in partnership with Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc. (CSFI) of the 19th Congress, PLDT-Smart Foundation, and Metro Pacific Investments Foundation.
It features a minor operating room, a trauma and wound care center, and patients’ room and wards that can serve about 405 patients a month.
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“This is a step forward in ensuring intangible commitment to our men and women in uniform, especially those injured,” Pangilinan said in a statement.
“(It) stands as a symbol of cooperation between the public and private sectors, working shoulder to shoulder to provide our service members with the medical care they rightfully deserve,” Pangilinan added.
The center is part of a larger project whose second phase will focus on cancer care.
Gracing the ribbon-cutting ceremony are Meralco chair Manny V. Pangilinan, Speaker Martin Romualdez and his wife, Tingog Rep. Yedda Romualdez, among other officials.
‘Personal battles’
Brig. Gen. Jonna Dalaguit, commander of the AFP Medical Center, said the BBM CCC “is a reminder of what collaboration can do to safeguard those who put their lives on the line to serve the country.”
“With the advanced medical care and specialized support for cancer patients, this center’s lifeline ensures that those who stand in the frontlines are not left behind when they face personal battles,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez also said in a statement.
“Our mission to spread light and hope includes those who also bring us security and peace in times of uncertainties,” OMF President Jeffrey Tarayao added. /cb —Nestor Corrales
