• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Having its own hospital is no longer a dream, but will soon be a reality for Talisaynons, following a donation of a one-hectare lot by the family of Mayor Rowena “Weng” Lopez- Lizares, for its site in Barangay Zone 12-A in Talisay City, Negros Occidental.
A deed of donation (DOD) was signed on January 29 between the Carmela Valley Agricultural Corporation/HDL Construction Corp. led by its Chief Executive Officer Dolores Lopez, and the Talisay City government, represented by her daughter, Mayor Weng Lopez-Lizares, for the construction of a 25-bed hospital.
The proposed establishment of a hospital was pushed by then Mayor Neil Lizares, also a campaign promise of his wife, the incumbent mayor, which formally took its first step, following the signing of DOD.
“This is just a first step,” Lopez-Lizares declared, as she hopes the construction will commence before 2028.
The Talisay City government is now looking for an architect for its design, and source of funds.
Lopez-Lizares said they will also seek help from public personalities, while entertaining the possibility of securing loans from financial institutions, after the Department of Health gave its concurrence for the establishment of a hospital for Talisaynons.
The first woman mayor of Talisay City also encouraged her constituents to register with PhilHealth, as it will help them a lot in the future medical expenses.
Aside from the hospital site, the Lopez family also donated a portion of their property for the sites of Technological University of the Philippines-Visayas campus, a sports oval for the provincial government of Negros Occidental, among others.
The mayor emphasized that the project is anchored on the long-felt need of the people of Talisay for accessible and quality health care. At the same time, she also expressed her gratitude to the Lopez family for answering the call of Talisaynons, listening not just to a proposal, but to the collective voice of a community seeking better health services.
Also witnessed the signing of DOD were Carmela Jones, Carmela Valley Corporation general manager Kenneth Tirthdas, City Administrator Atty. Jonathan Ealdama, former Mayor Neil Lizares, members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and Brgy. Zone 12A chairman Edwin Iledan, among others.*
