GUAGUA, Pampanga — Mayor Anthony Joseph Torres bared his plans for the
health and education sectors under his first term as local chief executive here.
In an interview, Torres said that among his priorities is the creation of a dialysis
center to provide free treatment to indigent Guaguaeños.
“We want to give our poor constituents access to free dialysis. We know that
PhilHealth is helping us, but patients have to still pay a little for their treatment.
With this center, we want to somehow unburden them by reducing their family’s
expenses,” he said.
The mayor added that the municipal government is also preparing so that when
Universal Health Care is fully implemented, it can immediately comply with the
requirements of the national government.
The rural health unit, he said, continues to vaccinate its residents against Covid-
19: “As long as we have more vaccines, let's avail them so that we can achieve
herd immunity faster.”
In particular, he urged students as well as teachers to get vaccinated to ensure
everyone's safety in preparation for the implementation of face-to-face classes.
“We are likewise preparing hand washing facilities in schools for the use of
students to avoid the spread of viruses. We assess facilities to make sure that
there is proper ventilation. Also, we are doing maintenance and repairs of school
facilities so that students will be safe from any kind of disaster,” the mayor said.
Torres cited the Guagua Community College, which he said is a big help to every
student who wants to get a tertiary education with good and quality learning.
He also shared his plan to establish an integrated high school for students who
will be taking secondary education but are residing in remote villages of the town.
“This integrated high school will be built in a clustered barangay and will serve at
least five to six villages. Cliche as it may be, I always believe that the best help
that we can give a family is providing their children with a good and quality
education that they can use to build their future well,” he said.
Torres vowed to give the youth all the services they need to make them
productive and empowered citizens, including programs aligned in sports, mental
health, and their participation in good governance.
