Legacy hospital of late Bocaue mayor inaugurated; to serve COVID-19 patients

The Mayor Joni Villanueva General Hospital in Bocaue, Bulacan will serve as a referral facility for mild to moderate cases of COVID-19. (Photo by Carmela Reyes-Estrope)

BOCAUE, Bulacan—A hospital named after the town’s late Mayor Joni Villanueva-Tugna was inaugurated here on Friday, May 28, in time for her first death anniversary.

Health officials joined Tugna’s brother Sen. Joel Villanueva and Gov. Daniel Fernando in inaugurating the Mayor Joni Villanueva General Hospital.

The newly built hospital is the brainchild of Tugna, who died of an ailment on May 28 last year while leading the town’s fight against COVID-19.

The senator had sought the P300 million funding for the hospital from the Department of Health to fulfill his sister’s dream of leaving a legacy.

“This hospital will provide service of a high standard that our family will carry for the rest of our lives, fulfilling her dream to give Bocaue its own hospital,” the senator said during the inauguration.

Villanueva said the hospital has a 50-bed capacity and will serve as a referral facility for mild to moderate COVID-19 cases. It will start operating by Monday, May 31.

Secretary Vince Dizon, deputy chief implementor of the national government policy on COVID-19, graced the event and said the hospital could immediately accommodate Bulacan patients.

abc