Once known as one of Manila’s most isolated and underserved communities, Baseco Compound in Barangay 649 marked a historic milestone on Friday, September 5, with the inauguration of the President Corazon C. Aquino General Hospital, or Baseco Hospital.
Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno led the ceremony, calling the three-story, 50-bed facility a game-changer for the lives of at least 80,000 residents in the area.
“Nakakatuwang isipin, sa buong Pilipinas, pwede kong masabi, ito lang ang barangay na may sariling ospital. This hospital may serve at least 80,000 people, from Intraport to Baseco. Yan, isang kembot niyo lang,” Moreno said.
Built at a cost of ₱100 million, the hospital is equipped with a fully operational emergency room, digital x-ray, centralized oxygen supply line, and major departments including maternity, pediatrics, surgery, and internal medicine.
Baseco, short for Bataan Shipyard and Engineering Corporation, is one of Manila’s largest urban poor communities.
Home to nearly 100,000 people, it sits on 48 hectares of reclaimed land along Manila Bay, prone to flooding, fires, and other disasters.
Most residents live in informal housing, earn less than ₱12,000 a month, and struggle with limited access to healthcare, sanitation, and education.
Moreno framed the opening of the facility as a matter of social justice.
Citing former President Ramon Magsaysay’s words, “those who have less in life must have more in law,” he said: “Today, we’re showing, na pinagmalasakitan nang higit ang mga tunay na nangangailangan.”
The Mayor also said naming the facility after the late President Corazon C. Aquino was meant to honor her legacy as a symbol of democracy.
“Ito rin ay araw ng kalayaan ng paghihirap ng mga kababayan natin. Layang-laya na kayo, dahil nandirito na, kapitbahay niyo lang,” the Mayor said.
“To honor former President Corazon C. Aquino, in our own little way, walang pulitika, we always give credit where it’s due,” he added.
Acknowledging frustrations with government health services, Moreno urged compassion for doctors and nurses.
“Lagi niyo isasaisip at isasapuso, tao rin sila. Kahit gaano pa kadalubhasa, there is nothing they can do kung wala silang gamit,” he said, stressing that shortages and systemic lapses, not health workers, are often to blame.
Moreno also reiterated his administration’s focus on minimum basic needs: housing, education, healthcare, and jobs.
“Ang tunay na rekadong maipapatupad ng pamahalaan ay paano patataasin ang antas ng pamumuhay ng mga tao. Doon ko kayo dadalhin. Hindi ako titigil,” he assured Baseco residents.
