The Vanguard Posted on May 10, 2026 at 11:21 am
The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill to establish a state-run college of medicine at Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) in Borongan City, the office of House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan said on Sunday, May 10.
House Bill No. 8626, authored by Libanan and Eastern Samar Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales, seeks to create the ESSU College of Medicine. The program will offer a Doctor of Medicine degree with a curriculum integrating liberal arts and medical sciences.
Libanan said the establishment of the medical college would eventually lead to the creation of Eastern Samar’s first teaching hospital. He described a teaching hospital as a facility affiliated with a medical school that provides patient care, education, and research, distinguishing it from community hospitals that focus primarily on patient care. The Philippine General Hospital in Manila was cited as an example.
ESSU currently serves nearly 25,000 students with 721 faculty members and operates a College of Nursing and Allied Sciences. The university has a main campus in Borongan and additional campuses in Can-avid, Guiuan, Maydolong, Salcedo, and extension units in Balangiga and Arteche. — Vanguard News
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