DND eyes to turn VMMC into 1st class hospital, boasts of improved corporate structure for veterans federation

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Saturday said they are already considering turning the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City into a first class hospital by using its excess funds.

In his speech at the 77th Veterans Federation of the Philippines Supreme Council Meeting in Quezon City, Lorenzana recalled that President Rodrigo Duterte had donated funds to the hospital.

"Ang problema ng VMMC ngayon ang dami nilang pera, 'di nila alam kung paano gagastusin. So hopefully for the first time, before the President leaves office, totally transformed na ang VMMC into a first class hospital," Lorenzana said.

"'Yung ating heart center malapit nang matapos, pretty soon meron na tayo ng angioplasty diyan, angiogram, meron na tayo diyan. So that is for us seniors para makita nila ang mga blockage diyan, a lot of people are dying, it is killing dahil hindi nila nakikita na mayroon ng mga bara-bara," he added.

Aside from this, the DND is also planning to lease a golf course owned by the Veterans Federation of the Philippines (VFP) via joint ventures to further fund the medicines and the hospital.

"So sa tingin ko kung magawa natin during this time of the President, at kung ma-improve natin and Veterans Center sa Taguig, yung 50 hectares doon, we will get for money for medicine every year, hindi na tayo bibigyan ng gobyerno."

Lorenzana emphasized that the VFP is now operating under an approved corporate operating budget for fiscal year 2018.

This after he admitted there were "structural imperfections and constraints" in the federation in its past administration, as well as malpractice on management and irregularities discovered by the Commission on Audit and DND.

"Prangkahan na ito ha, na sasabihin natin na there was mismanagement in the last administration," Lorenzana said.

"The VFP budget for fiscal year 2018 went through the prescribed processes, has been presented before the cognizant DND and PVAO (Philippine Veterans Affairs Office) staff, and was found to be compliant to DND-issued guidelines, GCG guidance, DBM budget memoranda and the COA audit observations and recommendations. So, I approved it immediately," he added.

Lorenzana said the VFP national office is already remitting back 100 percent of membership dues deducted by PVAO then remitted directly to the federation.

Under the former VFP administration, the national office used to still get a 10 percent share from the fees, the defense secretary said.

To further enhance the veterans' medical benefits, Lorenzana also mentioned they are looking into the possibility of putting up a hospital in the PHIVIDEC area in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, or having a veterans' or heroes' ward in provincial hospitals, as suggested by Health secretary Francisco Duque. — MDM, GMA News