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INSTEAD of letting the “hospital king of the Philippines” buy the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he would encourage Manny Pangilinan to invest in the South Road Properties (SRP).
The mayor said he was not able to meet with Pangilinan, president of the Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), on Thursday when he made a surprise visit in the 47-year-old city hospital.
Osmeña said he was not aware that Pangilinan was going to drop by.
He said that if he could meet with Pangilinan, he would offer him a reclamation property at the SRP, where he could build a brand new hospital facility.
“If I will have to discuss it with him, I would offer him the SRP. The SRP needs a high-end medical facility. But I believe he is the man behind USC (University of San Carlos),” said Osmeña referring to the school's interest in the city hospital.
Pangilinan is reportedly scouting for a property in Cebu to put up a hospital spa and is willing to invest P1.5 billion for it as an expansion of his business in Cebu.
The MPIC owns Makati Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Hospital, Davao Doctors and has been planning to expand its hospital chain in Cebu.
The business tycoon, however, was not able to tour the CCMC after media reporters approached him.
A CCMC consultant, Dr. Rodulfo Roman Bigornia, appeared before the City Council in last Wednesday's session and reported that the hospital was doing well but needs more capital investment to compete with the leading hospitals in the city. REPORTER MARIAN Z. CODILLA
