by Roda Dee

There are moments in a community’s story when progress stops being an abstract idea and becomes something you can see, touch, and trust. For Boholanos, that moment arrived with the launch of the Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Medical Center’s new Imaging Center—an achievement that transforms how our province faces illness, diagnosis, and care.

Congratulations to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Multi-Specialty Medical Center (GCGMMC), led by Medical Center Chief Executive Officer and Medical Center Chief II of GCGMMC, Dr. Laurence Tirol, on the launching of your Imaging Center which offers state-of-the-art and modern equipment – the first and only in the entire country.

Just imagine: Boholano patients who before had to travel far, endure expense and hardship, just to get an accurate diagnosis can now, right here on our soil, avail themselves of such opportunities. We are happy that through this, the healthcare services in our province will be further strengthened, by providing advanced diagnostic services such as X-Ray, CT Scan, and Ultrasound.

Also launched was the Philippines’ first and only Photon-Counting CT Scanner, which provides more precise imaging and makes it easier to detect even the smallest abnormalities in the body. This is not just a machine. This is hope — that even the smallest illness can be caught early, while it can still be treated.

In addition, Bohol’s first and only Dual-Energy 128-Slice Spectral CT Scanner was also launched, a major step toward delivering modern and quality healthcare service to Boholanos. Because every Boholano deserves world-class care — not just those in the city, not just the wealthy.

Present during the launching event were Balilihan Councilor Pureza Veloso – Chatto, as representative of former Congressman Edgar Chatto; Vice Governor Nick Besas  (representing the Bohol Governor); Bebiano Inting (representing 1st District Rep. Baba Yap); JP Maslog (representing 2nd District Rep. Van-van Aumentado); and Cortes Mayor Rudy Uy.  Also in attendance were Dr. Marc James Delos Santos, President of the Philippine College of Radiology; Paula Villafuerte of Siemens; and Maria Patricia Yambing of Medicines Distributors, Inc.

The center now stands as more than a building. It is a promise kept to every Boholano who has ever waited, just to get a clear answer about their health. What makes this launch convincing isn’t just the state-of-the-art technology inside. It’s what that technology means for a mother in Talibon, a farmer in Carmen, or a student in Tagbilaran City. It means faster diagnosis. It means fewer referrals to Cebu or Manila. It means care that meets you where you are, without the added burden of distance and cost. In a province where access has long been the biggest barrier, this center closes the gap.

Led by a team of committed medical professionals and supported by leaders who understand that health is the foundation of every other progress, the Imaging Center embodies what happens when vision meets action – when EXCELLENCE MEETS COMPASSION (EMC)

The equipment is advanced, yes—but the real advancement is in the lives that will be saved because of compassion, the anxieties that will be eased, and the futures that will now be protected. This is not just an opening. It is a declaration: Bohol’s healthcare has entered a new era. An era where excellence is not imported, but built at home. Where healing is not delayed, but delivered. Where every Boholano can believe that world-class care is no longer out of reach.

The center is for various specialty medical care, including heart disease, lung, kidney, and cancer. Dr. Laurence E. R. Tirol also said that the hospital will gradually launch the operations of each specialty center starting this year.

And aside from those equipment mentioned above, also launched were some of the most advanced diagnostic imaging technologies in the country, such as the NAEOTOM Alpha Photon-Counting Computed Tomography (CT Scan), which is recognized as the first photon-counting CT scanner in the Philippines.

Also introduced was the MAGNETOM Flow Platform, the first helium-independent 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system in the country, which provides more efficient and more accurate imaging for patients.

Also part of the new facility are the SOMATOM go. Top Dual-Energy 128-Slice Spectral Computed Tomography and the Syngo Carbon RIS-VNA System, which help in faster and more organized management of medical imaging records and patient results.

Dr. Tirol also expressed gratitude to all sectors and partners who helped make this project possible, which strengthens the hospital’s goal of providing more quality and modern healthcare service for the people.

Also to be thanked is this man whose initials match the acronym EMC representing EXCELLENCE MEETS COMPASSION – a very suitable tagline and catchphrase for the kind of service that the Specialty Center offers. It was this man who originally conceptualized and principally authored the bill in the House of Representatives (HOR) that led to this big project in Cortes town . The Multi-Specialty Medical Complex was established through Republic Act No. 11883, which was signed into law on June 29, 2022 – because of former Congressman Edgar M. Chatto (EMC) whose Excellence Meets Compassion (EMC). What a coincidence! 

According to Beejay Baquero, a young member of the Kabataan for Change movement, “This is a meaningful coincidence, but perhaps a fitting one.  It is quite difficult to fit in the shoes of an Edgar M. Chatto who has been championing the cause for excellence and compassion. He is the visionary behind this institution. His legacy will live on through every life he has touched. Daghang Salamat, former Congressman Edgar M. Chatto.”

To the doctors, nurses, technicians, administrators, and leaders who made this possible—your work reminds us that real progress is measured not in ribbon-cuttings, but in the lives improved because of you. 

Bohol, the future of our health has arrived. And it looks a lot like hope!