Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello and Vice Gov. Lilia G. Pineda hold usufruct deed for the OFW hospital. With them are PAGCor chair and CEO Andrea D. Domingo and Health Undersecretary Lilibeth David. Contributed photo
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — The signing of the usufruct agreement between the provincial government and the Department of Labor and Employment for the use of the very first overseas Filipino workers hospital in the Philippines was held here on Friday.
The signing was preceded by the kick-off ceremony for the construction of the P1– billion OFW hospital on a two-hectare lot at the Provincial Engineering Compound along the MacArthur Highway in Barangay Sindalan here.
The usufruct deed was signed by Vice Gov. Lilia G. Pineda for the provincial government and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chair and CEO Andrea Domingo said the government–owned and –controlled corporation will infuse an additional P300 million for the hospital’s facilities.
She also said the lot for the hospital facility, valued at P500 million, was donated by the provincial government while Bloomberry Resorts Corp. will donate P500 million for the building.
It was highly bruited that the 100-bed OFW hospital is slated to be finished before the end of the Duterte administration in May next year and will be the country’s first dedicated hospital and diagnostic center for OFWs.
In his speech, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the OFW hospital is the Duterte administration’s determination to give Filipinos free medical services and medicine.
Also present in the ceremony were Bloomberry’s Atty. Ellan Mark Pailan, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Hans Leo Cacdac, Department of Health Undersecretary Lilibeth David, and Pampanga board members Cherry Manalo, Fritzie David-Dizon and Pol Balingit and other provincial officials.
It can be recalled that former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the hospital’s groundbreaking on Labor Day last year with then-Gov. Lilia G. Pineda.
