• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Southwestern University (SWU) PHINMA is opening a medical school in Bacolod City, with the groundbreaking ceremony for the five-storey campus held Oct. 25 at Saludad Township in Barangay Bata, and targeted for completion in 2028.
Mayor Greg Gasataya said this is a breakthrough in terms of access to health science education, as he noted the financial burden on Bacolodnon students when traveling to Manila or other places.
Dr. Chito Salazar, SWU PHINMA president, said at the groundbreaking ceremony that “the mission of PHINMA Education really is to provide accessible education to low-income families.”
“By intent and desire, and design, we’re targeting low-income students. Because we believe that education is really the only way for our fellow Filipinos in poverty to rise out of poverty. So, we found ways to really bring our tuition (and other school) fees down and make education accessible,” he stressed. “We want to bring even higher quality, what we call world-class education, and make that affordable.”
The Bacolod campus marks a new chapter in SWU PHINMA’s commitment to expanding access to quality education beyond Cebu, and bringing greater educational opportunities closer to students in Bacolod and neighboring communities, its press release said.
SWU PHINMA, established in Cebu in 1946, is recognized as the biggest health science university in the Visayas and Mindanao, it added. “As part of PHINMA Education, the University remains committed to making quality education accessible to students from low- and middle-income backgrounds, supported by deliberately demanding academic programs and essential student services designed to help them succeed.”
The school will rise in a 3,832 square-meter property inside the 21-hectare Saludad Township. Its program offerings include Doctor of Medicine, Pharmacy, Medical Technology, Nursing, and Psychology.
Commission on Higher Education-Negros Island Region director Raul Alvarez Jr., meanwhile, stressed the need for quality education, and hopes that SWU could also join the family of educational institutions in the region. “Let’s put on top quality education. That is the thrust of the City of Bacolod” and the Commission. | CGC
