PHILIPPINE HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
# 14 Kamias Road, Quezon City, 1102 Metro Manila, Philippines
PHA Help Line: (0917) 825-2949 / (0917) 825-2964 Tel. Nos: (02) 8-922-7674/75; 8-744-7613, 8-926-7923 Fax Nos: 921-2219
2020 OFFICERS AND
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JAIME A. ALMORA, MD
President
EDMUNDO B. LOPEZ, MD, MHA
Vice President for Luzon
LAUREN R. TIROL
Vice President for Visayas
CONRADO M. BRAÑA, JR, MD, MHA
Vice President for Mindanao
MA. LOURDES K. OTAYZA, MD, MHA
Secretary
ATTY. BU C. CASTRO, MD
Treasurer
EDGARDO V. SALUD, MD, MHA
Public Relation Officer
JESUS M. JARDIN, MD
Director
RUSTICO A. JIMENEZ, MD, MHA
Director
HUBERTO F. LAPUZ, MD, MHA
Director
MUTYA KISMET T. MACUNO, MD, MDM
Director
RUBEN C. FLORES, MD, MHA
President Emeritus
ATTY. KRISTIENNE O. APOSTOL, MD
Legal Counsel
CLIMACO E. CALIWARA, CPA
Executive Director
Email Address: philhospitalassn@gmail.com Visit us at: http://philhospitalassn.org
NATIONAL HOSPITAL WEEK MESSAGE
The National Hospital Week is celebrated every year from August 6 to 12, by virtue of
Proclamation No. 181, s.1993, signed by then President Fidel V. Ramos. Today is its
first day. For this week’s observance, the Department of Health has come up with the
theme: HOSPITALS AS CHAMPIONS IN PEOPLE CENTERED CARE IN THE
FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19.”
The Philippine Hospital Association could not agree more with the theme. It puts the
hospitals in a pedestal and the limelight. Our pedestal are the tens of thousands of
patients that we helped bring back to good health. We bask in the applause of the
beating hearts of 110 million Filipinos whose hopes we provide and expectations we
try to meet. However, let us not be distracted by the accolades. The reality before us,
if I may, are hospitals bursting with Covid-19 patients, propped up at the back of the
battle scarred, tired, weary, sleepy, perspiration soaked health-workers, front-liners and
those behind the line, toiling without let-up while a long line of members of the
community are lined up waiting for their turns to avail of medical care. In contrast,
many of our smaller hospitals in Covid-19 free areas of the country suffers from drastic
drop in their revenues and striving hard to survive due to more than 50% drop in
hospital patient census. Add to this reality is the ever-increasing shortage of health
manpower which is aggravated by this pandemic.
I know our 2,000 strong hospital membership have stories to tell about the
unimaginable challenges they faced in the last 6 months. Let us however reserve those
until better times. For now, in this National Hospital Week, the PHA extends its HUGE
appreciation to the healthcare heroes and enjoins everyone to persevere so that we may
continue to be a blessing with our help and care so that others may live. May I
personally encourage our hospital managers to keep implementing creative measures
towards improving our capabilities in meeting the challenges of this pandemic.
The members of the PHA Board of Directors joins me in expressing profound gratitude
and felicitations to all hospital managers and selfless personnel in jobs well done.
With God’s infinite mercy, we shall all survive and prevail in this COVID-19 war.
Sincerely,
JAIME A. ALMORA
President
Philippine Hospital Association