The municipal government here on Monday announced the issuance of an unprecedented 297 construction permits from January to November 2023 as part of an aggressive push to modernize the town’s infrastructure while creating fresh jobs for its resident workers.

In an interview, Mayor Alex Magpantay said among the structures that will soon rise in this small town are a private hospital and a hotel, both of which will contribute significantly to expanding the local job market.

Magpantay said both establishments will be built in Barangay Labac along the national highway, making them easily accessible to tourists and patients alike.

“With these improvements, our town will be in a much better position. We are speeding up the (bureaucratic) processes so that they can be built immediately,” he said in Filipino.

Magpantay said more business establishments built here means that many of the town’s resident professionals no longer have to find jobs in Metro Manila or other distant places.

New medical and hospitality facilities in Cuenca also mean that customers from all over Batangas will come and help boost the town’s revenues, he added.

Meanwhile, during the groundbreaking ceremony of the soon-to-rise Cuenca General Hospital on Sunday, Magpantay recounted that the swift approval of the facility’s permits came with the condition that its management would keep the cost of medical services affordable.

Magpantay said the hospital’s investors also agreed to prioritize the hiring of medical professionals from Cuenca, opening more employment opportunities to qualified residents of the town.

For his part, Dr. Anastacio Alvarez, who will sit as president of the envisioned Cuenca General Hospital, extended his appreciation to the local government for sharing its vision to deliver quality and affordable healthcare in the province.

“This day marks the beginning when all of us will be working together to accomplish a mission to provide the most affordable healthcare service in the whole province of Batangas,” Alvarez said.

The town’s new hospital is expected to open in around 16 months. (PNA)

Photo credit: Facebook/alexmagpantayofficialpage