MEXICO, Pampanga – Gov. Lilia Pineda on Mondayinspected the community hospital here and other public institutions as part of her sustained program to improve the delivery of basic services at one of Pampanga’s biggest towns in terms of land area and population.
Pineda and Third District Board Member Rosve Henson joined the flag-raising ceremony in front of the municipal hall attended by municipal workers and officials led by Mayor Roy Manalastas and Vice Mayor Doc Pangan.
In his speech, Manalastas expressed gratitude to Pineda for accepting her invitation to attend the flag-raising rites and visit the municipal government-run Mexico Community Hospital (MCH).
Manalastas toured Pineda at the MCH and showed her the four dialysis machines which will begin operation next week. He entered an public-private-partnership (PPP) with the Santa Ana Enterprises for the establishment of the dialysis unit seen to primarily serve the people at the eastern portion of the province, including Arayat, Magalang and Mexico towns.
It could recalled that Pineda and the provincial board led by Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda are urging local government units (LGUs) to enter into PPP to serve better their respective constituents.
“The Mexico government had no financial obligation in the deal with Santa Ana. The rate for dialysis per session is at least 20 percent lower compared to fee at private hospitals in Pampanga,” said Manalastas in the dialect.
Pineda vowed to support the dialysis center of the MCH because “it will help less fortunate people and those already heavily burdened by expensive kidney disease treatments.”
Pineda also inspected the housing units in Barangay Tangle, some of which were in poor state. She is planning to improve the units and make them available for poor residents, Capitol workers and those needing permanent relocations.
At the highly populated Pandacaqui Resettlement Center, Pineda inspected the public market and a building near the barangay hall
Pineda spent at least 45 minutes at the market and spoke with vendors and residents.
“It’s important that we know directly the problems and concerns of our people in the grassroots level. This is the only we can really make Capitol-led programs truly beneficial to general public, especially the poor ones,” said Pineda in the dialect. She launched in early January the “Kapitolyo sa Barangay” to inform the some two million people in Pampanga at 505 villages about the services of the Capitol and at the same the provincial government be informed of the sentiments of the public.
Pineda is planning to turn the one-storey building into a birthing station to drastically limit the number of women affected by problems related to pregnancy. She is planning to infuse at least P5 million for the birthing station and clinic at the resettlement whose residents are mostly victims of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo more than 20 years ago.
Former Board Member Trina Tiglao Dizon of this town, who pushed the welfare of women and children as former youth leader, three-term town councilor and one-time member of the PB, lauded Pineda “for relentless pursuit to bring genuine services closer to the people of Mexico and nearby areas.”
She added that “when the community is healthy and productive, cases of abuse on women and children is overwhelmingly reduced.”
For his part, Vice Mayor Pangan said “this is very good when the governor directly sees the situation and can design effective help for Mexico.”
Henson said that Pineda could fund his planned projects in Mexico “starting with the development fund.”
A first-class municipality, Mexico has at least 146,000 people (2010 census) and 43 barangays. It’s land area is 117.41 square kilometers and is among the biggest towns in Pampanga.
By Joey Pavia
