Thursday, August 14, 2008 [ www.manilatimes.net ]
Congresswoman Mary Ann Susano of Quezon City is condemning the planned sale of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) that will make way for commercial development of a 250-hectare area in the city.
In a media forum Wednesday, Susano along with Josephine Jamon, president of the hospital’s employees association and Dr. Godwyn Hornaez, vice president of the same association, urged the Quezon City government to spare the hospital from the commercial development in the city, that covers parts of North Avenue, East Avenue and EDSA.
“Being a daughter of a veteran, I’m not in favor of selling the VMMC,” Susano said.
The hospital, which is under the Department of National Defense, takes care of the health requirements of the World War 2 veterans and retired military personnel. It was constructed with US government money under the provisions of US Public Law 865 of July 1, 1948.
On May 4, 2007, President Arroyo issued Executive Order No. 620 entitled “Rationalizing and Speeding up the Development of the East and North Triangles and the Veterans Memorial Area of Quezon City.” It also created the Urban Triangle Development Commission.
The order was later amended by Executive Order No. 620-A, dated September 11, 2007, and entitled “Expanding the Composition of the Urban Triangle Development Commission and Clarifying Its Structure and Functions.”
Under Executive Order No 620-A, the commission was tasked to prepare master plan for the development of a 250-hectare area of Quezon City, which includes the hospital’s land. --Enelisa M. Rebosura
____________________________________________________________________
