PRESS RELEASE

No.

Releasing Officer:

 

Date

Mar 12, 2008

 

MARINA M. AGUSTIN

 

 

Acting Chief, Office for Public and Legislative Affairs

Office for Public Affairs, Department of National Defense, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City

 

Telephone Nos:  911-3339 / 911-4529

 

Catex: 911-6001 to 12, loc. 8445/8444

     Fax No.: 911-7113

 

VMMC will not be touched unless set conditions are fulfilled – Teodoro

 

Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. said today the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) ‘will not be touched’ as he assured the veterans and their dependents of continuous delivery of medical service even with the planned relocation of VMMC.  

Secretary Teodoro stressed that there will be no demolition of the current VMMC until the following conditions are satisfied:  

a. there should be a complete replication of the VMMC and its facilities;

 

b. it must be relocated in a more suitable location within the development area; and

 

c. there should be a reasonable share of the revenues that will be generated from the development of the property in order to support and sustain the operations of a modern medical center for the Filipino veterans.

 The defense chief issued this statement following reports that the VMMC property will be sold to foreign consortium for commercial purposes without any replication.   

“The current VMMC will be not be touched unless these conditions are fulfilled to ensure continuous service to our veterans and their dependents,” Secretary Teodoro said.  

Citing Presidential Proclamation No. 2244 dated November 22, 1982 which transferred the ownership over VMMC property from the National Housing Authority to the VMMC at no cost, the defense chief said the VMMC still has the ownership over the land on which the veterans medical facility is currently situated.     

The VMMC property is part of the integrated development plan managed by the Urban Triangle Development (TriDev) Commission which was created by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.  

TriDev is chaired by Vice President Noli de Castro with Quezon City Mayor Sonny

Belmonte as co-chair.