• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Third District of Negros Occidental has secured a total of P24,547,785.82 in medical funding for 2025 through the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program.
The assistance, distributed through the office of Third District Rep. Javier Niguel Benitez, provided aid to 1,093 indigent residents across the district from July to December 2025.
The program, designed to bridge the gap for families unable to afford hospital costs, ensured that patients from the cities of Silay, Talisay, and Victorias, as well as the municipalities of E.B. Magalona and Murcia, received necessary medical treatment.
The MAIFIP funds benefited the district’s five local government units, with Silay City recording 394 beneficiaries, followed by Talisay City with 255, and Victorias City with 182, 135 patients from E.B. Magalona and 120 from Murcia also received assistance.
Beyond the district’s borders, the program also extended support to several patients from other neighboring areas who sought help through the district’s established medical network.
The P24.5 million fund was utilized across 12 partner medical institutions, allowing patients access to both local government hospitals and specialized national centers.
Partner facilities include the Riverside Medical Center, Inc., Bacolod Queen of Mercy Hospital, The Doctor’s Hospital, Inc., Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital, Adventist Medical Center – Bacolod, Dr. Ramon B. Gustilo Hospital, Metro Bacolod Hospital and Medical Center, Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, and Western Visayas Medical Center.
For more specialized needs, the funds also covered treatments at the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and the Lung Center of the Philippines.*
