On Wed, Oct 12, the Department of Health (DOH) announced that a 10,000-bed rehabilitation center for recovering drug addicts will open in Nueva Ecija next month.
Around PHP500 million (around US$ 10,290,000) has also already been allocated in the 2017 budget for the operating costs of the facility.
“DOH chief Dr. Paulyn Ubial said the partial turnover of 2,500 beds will be made on October 15 and the remaining 7,500 beds by November 16,” reports Kimberly Jane Tan on ABS-CBN News Online.
Ubial was quoted as saying, “The mega rehabilitation center is expected to be in full operation on the first week of November.”
The report noted: “The government had earlier said that the center constructed inside Fort Magsaysay was donated by an anonymous Chinese donor. But Ubial has identified the said donor as a Chinese philanthropist and private real estate developer.”
Ubial added, “I know for a fact that he is the developer of the largest shopping mall in Asia, it’s located in China.”
Ubial likewise disclosed that the Chinese businessman “met with President Rodrigo Duterte at least three times: twice before the former Davao City mayor won the presidency in the May 2016 elections and once after he assumed his position.”
The report pointed out that the Chinese businessman “donated all the materials used for the construction of the facility while another donor committed to donate furnishings.”
