Marcos inspects rebuilt hospital in Eastern Samar

GUIUAN, Eastern Samar — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inspected the newly reconstructed Felipe Abrigo Memorial Hospital in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

Eastern Samar Gov. Ralph Vincent Evardone led the tour of the hospital, joined by national government officials and representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.

The provincial government-run district hospital was heavily damaged when Super Typhoon Yolanda made its first landfall in Guiuan on 8 November 2013.

Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan said the typhoon left at least 101 people dead in the municipality.

Joining Marcos during the inspection were former Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, Eastern Samar Rep. Sheen Gonzales, Education Secretary Sonny Angara, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Health Secretary Edwin Mercado, South Korean Ambassador Lee Dong-gy and Korea International Cooperation Agency Philippines Country Director Jung Youngsun.

The reconstructed portion of the hospital is scheduled to open to the public on 7 October 2026 as part of the town’s fiesta celebration in honor of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.

The reconstruction was funded mainly through an $8.76-million grant from KOICA, along with P200 million secured by then-Sen. Angara and more than P109 million from the Eastern Samar provincial government.

FAMH is a 12-bed Level 1 public hospital equipped to provide emergency care, general surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, radiology and clinical laboratory services.

The provincial government also has a five-year development roadmap to establish specialized medical units, including an intensive care unit and hemodialysis unit, as well as imaging services such as CT scan, mammography and laparoscopy.