American Group Plans to Build State-of-the Art Hospital at SRP (Aug 2006)

The Freeman 08/28/2006

Negotiations are ongoing between the City of Cebu and an American firm for the establishment of a P700 million state-of-the-art hospital at the South Reclamation Properties.
Dr. Philip Chua, the Chairman of Cardiovascular Surgery at Cebu Doctor's University Hospital told The Freeman that the Cardiovascular Hospitals of America (CHA) based in Wichita, Kansas plans to build the American Medical Center in Cebu City, its first branch in Asia, by next year.

Chua, a Filipino-American cardio-surgeon from Indiana and Las Vegas, is also the Vice President of CHA for Far East Operations.

Chua said the Philippines was primarily chosen as the pilot area as it has an edge over other Asian countries because of its natural resources as the availability of manpower.

"Particularly the knowledge and grasp of the English language, the Philippines can do it better than those Asian countries whose medical tourism is now rapidly evolving a multi-billion dollar industry, like Malaysia, Thailand and India," Chua said.

The planned American Medical Center-Cebu will apply for accreditation with the Joint Commission International, US Blue Cross/Blue Shield and US Medicare.

When it comes to fruition, Chua said that with the enabling environment and assistance provided by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and the national government, this industry would bring hundreds of thousand new jobs and billions of pesos to boost the sagging economy of the country.

Chua said that Filipinos abroad are most eager to visit the Philippines often or even to retire but due to lack of health and hospitalization insurance coverage, they are reluctant to do so.

The AMC-Cebu would change all this and will allow Filipinos overseas fulfill their dream of retiring in their native land.

Investors of this medical tourism center, besides the CHA in Kansas, are all physicians and businessmen in Cebu, Manila and other major cities south of Manila.

It will be built based on American standards and managed as a world class center with licensed surgeons in the United States among the many surgical specialists on its staff.

Chua said it is going to be a win-win situation for the American investors, Filipino physicians, Cebu and the Filipino people as a whole.

The doctor also assured that although the hospital will cater mainly to balikabayans and patients from other countries, Filipinos can also seek treatment and medical care in the facility.

The CHA owns four hospitals in the United States. -

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Sto. Niño Image Soon to Rise at SRP (August 2006)

The Freeman 08/13/2006

A life-size image Sr. Santo. Niño will soon rise on Kawit Island after the City Council granted businessman Lim Liu's request to create a cultural, historical and religious landmark in the area, which is now part of the South Road Properties (SRP). 

Councilor Joey Daluz III, who authored the resolution approving the landmark's construction, said the city government will not spend a single centavo for the construction of the image. 

"Mr. Lim Liu, a well known businessman, good Samaritan and civic leader will put up a life-size image of the Sr. Santo Niño not only to pay homage to the patron and divine protector of Cebuano people, but more importantly, to evoke the cultural, historical and religious heritage or history of Cebu City," Daluz said. 

Under a proposed plan, the Kawit Island will be utilized as a recreational area inside the SRP. 

In Pre-Hispanic times, Cebu was known as "Sugbu" or "Zubu," which was already a port town visited by traders from China, Thailand, the East Indies and the Arabian kingdoms. 

When Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu on April 7, 1521, its ruler King Humabon gladly welcomed him. Humabon and his queen Juana were later converted to Christianity and at least 400 other subjects followed suit. 

Magellan planted a cross and gave Juana a statue of the Santo Niño to commemorate the event. - Garry B. Lao
   

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Tomas to Hire Inmates for SRP (July 2006)

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has found a way to temporarily solve the congestion problems at the city jail: hire some of them to work at the South Reclamation Project (SRP).

Osmeña said his idea will not only decongest the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC) during the day, it will also give
inmates an opportunity to earn.

In a news conference yesterday, the mayor said the City Government is not capable of helping manage the jail facility at this time, as suggested by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Cebu City Chapter.

“We are not going to support BJMP because of the corruption in their system. What we have to do if we’re going to take over is that we’re going to take over the entire operations, and I don’t have the internal management capability to do that,” he said.

The IBP suggested that the City Government take over the management of BBRC after seeing that the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), which is managed by the Capitol, is faring better in terms of management.

But Osmeña said the BBRC cannot be compared with CPDRC. Unlike the governor, he said he doesn’t have the time and capability to look after the inmates because of several other facilities and issues he has to worry about like the city hospital, public markets and the vendors.

Taking over the BBRC will only cause problems for the City Government and will strain City Hall’s internal capabilities.

He added that it’s easier for Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to help manage CPDRC because in managing the Province, she has all the municipal and city mayors to help her.

“She doesn’t get involved in the nitty-gritty of things and she has the luxury and capability to look at these problems. In my case, I still have problems with other things,” he said.

Also yesterday, the mayor announced plans to hire some inmates to do manual labor at the SRP in the coming months.

If the plan pushes through, the City will pay the inmate P100 for a day’s work and provide them with meals.

He said, though, that the plan will take several months to be implemented as everything will depend on whether the judges will allow them to work.

“Under this concept, we’ll be selecting prisoners who only have few months left to work, the ones who are considered low risk.

At least they have the opportunity to save so that when they are released, they’re not zero balance. This will at least bring down the congestion during the day,” he told reporters.

The mayor plans to have the inmates make sandbags that will be used as base for the internal roads at the SRP.

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Japan Investors Plan to Build Hospital in SRP (July 2006)

Japan investors plan to build hospital in SRP

CEBU CITY – A group of Japanese businessmen has expressed interest to put up a hospital or a retirement facility at the South Reclamation Project (SRP) here.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena said such plan was signified by the Japanese businessmen during his week-long visit to Japan to market the reclamation project.

Osmena said these prospective investors have visited Cebu several times but have not been to the SRP.

During his State of the City Address (Soca) on Monday, Osmena said, the city government was working on development projects that were expected to enhance the marketability of the SRP, now titled in the name of the city government.

The mayor said an investor is buying 20-hectare of about 300-hectare reclamation project for the establishment of a container van manufacturing company, while another investor is also leasing 20-hectare of reclaimed lot.

The city is now focusing on development works to improve the SRP’s marketability. The development works include the establishment of a 1.4-kilometer beach and boardwalk in Pond F, and the completion of Phase 1 of the Senior Citizens Building.

Osmena said the establishment of amenities that include electricity, water and internal road network is also now in progress. The development works would be made parallel to the marketing of the reclaimed lots, he said.

The mayor made presentations with several companies in Japan.

”Many small companies that are doing new things in Japan are coming to Cebu to take a look at our situation because historically, we attract big investors. Now, we also wanted to attract the smaller companies that are doing some innovations in certain fields,” he said.

Osmena said at least five to six of these smaller companies, whom he referred to as “innovators”, have expressed interest on the SRP.

He said another Japanese firm is hiring skilled retirees to work for them on-line. It now has at least 1,000 employees.

”These are the companies that we need to bring to Cebu instead of just focusing on those bigger companies,” he said.

Joel Yu, head of the Cebu Investment promotions Center (CIPC), accompanied Osmena to Japan to the week-long visit to Japan that ended last July 1.

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Villarete Asks Council to Prohibit Public Use of all Parts of SRP (June 2006)

The Freeman 06/28/2006

South Reclamation Project manager Nigel Paul Villarete is asking the city council to declare the 296-hectare South Reclamation Project as reserve for current and future use by the city government and prohibits any kind of public use. 

In his letter addressed to the city council, Villarete said that the channel separating the SRP from the mainland should remain open and clear, free from obstruction and any impeding structures or improvements. 

Villarete said that all parts should be immediately and readily accessible by the city government for clean-up, repairs and maintenance purposes. 

"Inasmuch as the channel surrounds and direct abuts the SRP, it is deemed imperative that the city government has direct access and control in case the city needs to establish other management, control, access, or maintenance structures and or improvements anytime in the future," Villarete said. 

It is noted, according to Villarete that in Presidential Proclamation No. 843, which declared the SRP as alienable and disposable, and which transferred ownership to the city government, the approved Survey Plan clearly indicated the necessary Salvage Zone as required by law. 

The Salvage Zone is intended by law to allow sound urban environmental management of coastal areas and protect these areas from encroachment, Villarete said. 

Villarete added that a piece of legislation to that effect, foreshore lease applications, miscellaneous sales applications, fishpond permits, and any other kind of public land uses and applications be prohibited in the area and no applications be approved nor recommended for approval by higher authorities, is also necessary. 

The city government of Cebu, through an Official Development Assistance of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation embarked into a major reclamation project in 1995, called the South Reclamation Project, generally located offshore of the south district of the city. 

The reclamation works was completed in 2000, the initial horizontal infrastructure development and utilities were implemented, and the SRP was declared as a Special Economic Zone through Presidential Proclamation No. 763, issued on January 20, 2005. - Garry B. Lao

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