MANILA Mayor Honey Lacuna lauded House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez for being a true gentleman, having a heart for the poor and for being a man of his word, even as she also thanked him for broaching the idea of having President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. grace the inauguration of the planned Governor Benjamin Romualdez Cancer Center in Manila.
Lacuna said she was impressed at how Romualdez acted so swiftly on a promise he made just a couple of days before they met again at the groundbreaking ceremony of the said specialty center which will rise in the premises of the city government’s flagship hospital, the Ospital ng Maynila.
In his speech Romualdez said that he brought with him no less than House appropriations committee chair Rep. Zaldy Co and majority floorleader Manuel Dalipe to ensure that all of the mayor’s requests and the commitments he (Romualdez) made will be fulfilled without hitches.
At the same time, Romualdez suggested to have President Marcos, Jr. invited to the inauguration once the center is done, as he recounted that the late Governor Benjamin ‘Kokoy’ Romualdez also happens to be the President’s favorite uncle.
The idea was met with overwhelming approval via a thunderous applause especially from Lacuna and the city officials present.
Lacuna thanked Romualdez and fifth district Congressman Irwin Tieng for supporting her administration’s programs meant to provide free healthcare services for the poor, noting what the center would mean for those who are stricken with cancer whose costs of treatment range from P120,000 to over a million.
“We assure you Speaker, that this edifice will be maintained and sustained by our city government. Pero mas maganda po sana, kung hindi man kalabisan, maglalambing na rin kami na sana ay itodo nyo na, kumpletohin nyo na po sana pati mga equipment at logistical requirement nitong ating Cancer Center,” Lacuna said.
In response, Romualdez, who praised Lacuna as “napaka-magaling, napaka-masipag at napaka-mahusay na alkalde ng Maynila,” said that the presence of Co and Dalipe was already his gift to the lady mayor, saying: “hindi lang salita… yes na yes… sila (Co and Falipe) na bahala sa lahat ng kailangan ninyo.”
“Naging ‘yes man’ na ata ‘ko sa Kongreso … basta lahat ng hingin ng mga Kongrsistslalo na taga-Maynila, yes na yes talaga ako… ‘yung puso natin talaga ay sa Maynila,” he added, as he stressed that he has his roots in Manila, having spent years of his childhood bathing in the waters of the Manila Bay where his mother Juliet would usually bring him, having an ancestral home in Pandacan and having been closely related to former Manila Mayor Miguel Romualdez whom he addressed as ‘Papa Miguel.’
Romualdez expressed full commitment to the project, as he recounted the hardships that his family went through when his father was taken by cancer.
The speaker assured that the center will have his full backing in terms of funding. all throughout his term and said his family is willing to underwrite whatever else would be needed to complete the services and equipment that would be needed in the said project.
The free cancer center, he said, is very much aligned with the priority programs of President Marcos, Jr. that focus on specialty health centers, housing and food security.
