GROUNDBREAKING. Sen. Bong Go, Gov. Dennis Pineda, Vice Gov. Lilia Pineda, PAGCor chair Andrea Domingo, and Bloomberry Cultural Foundation, Inc. president Donato Almeda lead time capsule laying for the P500-million OFW Hospital at the Provincial Engineering Office compound in Sindalan, City of San Fernando. Joining them are officials of DOH, OWWA, and DOLE. Photo by Bong Lacson
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Construction of the country’s first OFW (overseas Filipino workers) Hospital and Diagnostic Center here finally went underway after a brief ground-breaking and time capsule-laying rites on Tuesday.
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, who was the guest of honor, led the capsule laying for the P500-million facility that will be constructed on a two-hectare lot donated by the provincial government at the Provincial Engineering Office Compound in Barangay Sindalan here.
The senator was welcomed by Gov. Dennis “Delta” G. Pineda and Vice Gov. Lilia G. Pineda who were joined by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chair Andrea Domingo as well as Overseas Workers Welfare Administration deputy administrator Esther Margaux Uson, DMCI president and COO Jorge Consunji and top executives of the Department of Health and the Department of Labor and Employment in the region.
Gov. Pineda expressed his profound gratitude to the DOH, DOLE, OWWA, PAGCor and Bloomberry Cultural Foundation that will fund the construction of the hospital.
“Ngayon po masasaksihan na natin ang paninimula ng proyekto (Today we will witness the start of this project),” said the governor as he acknowledged Jorge Consunji of DMCI and pointed to heavy equipment parked in the area ready for work.
It can be recalled that former House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the hospital’s groundbreaking on Labor Day last year with then Gov. Lilia G. Pineda and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.
The construction of the P500 million hospital will be shouldered by businessman Enrique Anselmo Klar Razon Jr of Bloomberry while PAGCor will provide hospital equipment worth P200-million, with full support from DOLE, OWWA, DOH and Philippine Health and Insurance Corp.
A brainchild of then- Gov. Lilia, the hospital will have a 100-bed capacity, equipped with dialysis and cancer centers, and targeted for completion in 2021.
The hospital aims to respond to the medical needs of OFWs and their immediate families for free, Senator Go said.
