Victorias City mayoralty aspirant Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez is taking the initiative to make the long-felt dream of Victoriahanons for a hospital, a reality.
Understanding the longing and plea for access to better healthcare, he picked up the pieces where the project had encountered unforeseen circumstances and buckled down to pursue the dream that was initially given life by his great grandmother, the late former Mayor Remedios Palanca-Bantug, a press release said Tuesday, January 11.
Benitez re-connected via Zoom with the Memphis Mission of Mercy, a USA-based non-profit organization focusing on surgical humanitarian missions in the Philippines, that Bantug brought to Victorias during her term.
He lobbied for the Memphis Mission to reconsider the resumption of the project.
Considering the importance of the discussion, he flew to Memphis in December last year to personally meet and pursue the project’s fruition with founder Dr. Renato Zalamea and his daughter, Dr. Nia Zalamea-Ducklo, VicePresident and Chairperson of the Board, and Project Director.
The Zalameas also facilitated the courtesy call of Javi on Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, where both spoke of opportunities for collaboration on programs in the future, the press release said.
The Memphis Mission of Mercy held its ninth medical outreach in Victorias City in September 2019, holding surgeries at the Kaayong Lawas Foundation health facility.
Dr. Renato Zalamea shared with Benitez his friendship and conversations with his great grandmother, Mayor Bantug and the Mission’s proposition of establishing a surgical hospital.
With the resumption of discussions on the project, Benitez also travelled to New York to meet with the Filipino architect who designed the 40-bed hospital, with its six operating rooms. Architect Carlos Arnaiz traced his family roots to Victorias where his great, great grandfather had lived.
Recently, the Memphis Mission through Dr. Nia Zalamea-Ducklo announced the building of a $5M long-term surgery center in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, that will serve its more than 87,000 residents and also neighboring communities in the province.
The Memphis Mission of Mercy, founded in 1999, chose to serve the poor and needy of the Philippines, homeland of the Zalameas.
To date, it has supplied over $17.7 M free medical and surgical care, reached more than 26,000 patients during its 22 trips to the country and over 900 major and minor surgeries provided by volunteer doctors, nurses and support staff who are mostly Memphis-based, the press release said.
Ducklo, a general surgeon and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, said it is her family legacy of servant-leadership, that inspired her to help those in need. She said that after 19 years of serving the Philippines, the Memphis Mercy of Mission is now ready to realize its dream of building a hospital in Victorias City.
With intensive research as part of the project planning, Dr. Ducklo said the facility will provide ongoing surgical care, as well as educational development in partnership with the local medical community.
Architect Arnaiz, the hospital will have a welcoming design and will include a large community space, a library, a small restaurant and chapel, volunteer dormitories, gardens and even a studio for a resident artist.
Benitez said he looks forward to seriously doing groundwork until the realization of the project.
Strengthening access to primary health care and further improving medical services to all Victoriahanons is among the top priorities of the standard bearer of Asenso Victoriahanon, the press release said.
The dream of a hospital for Victoriahanons is now on track, it added.*