Press Release
August 15, 2007

ROXAS VISITS CAGAYAN DE ORO
HEALTH, EDUCATION, PRICE MONITORING CHIEF CONCERNS

Senator Mar Roxas, in his quest to provide modern and responsive social services to the people, is visiting Cagayan De Oro City to inspect health care, education and palengke facilities in the area.

Arriving Wednesday morning, Roxas will be present at the inaugural of the eight-story Capitol University Medical City (CUMC) later that day. "The opening of this modern medical facility augurs well for the health care sector in the region," he said.

The new hospital provides various facilities that use the latest available technologies. "I am proud to witness this testament to the global standards of Filipino health care. Pang world-class talaga," Roxas said. "This is a testament to Capitol University's commitment to serving the health care needs of Mindanaoans. This is the kind of commitment we need to uplift our ailing health care sector."

In line with this, Roxas has re-filed his cheaper medicines bill, now Senate Bill No. 101, that would ease patent restrictions thus allowing parallel importation as well as earlier research and registration of patented drugs. The Senator has also filed SB 102 earmarking half of the P80-billion EVAT fund for health, including the building of new hospitals and the hiring of more doctors and nurses. Under the bill, the other half of the EVAT fund will be going to education, which is another chief advocacy of Roxas.

During his trip, he will be inspecting the progress of the Gearing Up Internet Literacy Access for Students (GILAS) program, which students in the province are beneficiaries of. "The education on information technology, which GILAS provides to public school students, has to be updated constantly, because of the continued advancements in the field," Roxas noted.

Later in the day, Roxas will also visit the Cagayan De Oro Public Market. Roxas, also known as "Mr. Palengke," will be inspecting as usual the prevailing prices of basic goods, and ensuring the wet market is up to standard. He regularly tours the country visiting various markets, searching for the model modern palengke. "The palengke is where the country's real economy can be seen. That is why I want to see each vendor maximizing their yields, selling products of high quality," he said.

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