BY GERRY LEE GORIT
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – FILIPINO entrepreneurs with connections in Europe have banded together to donate assorted goods to the local government of Villanueva, Misamis Oriental to be intended for constituents in the whole province on April 13. 2022.
Couple-entrepreneurs Noel Pabatao and Jennifer Chu of Ozamiz City-based Junjing Construction and Development Corporation were able to gather 50 wheelchairs, ten hospital beds and 50 sacks of assorted goods as facilitated by their Belgian benefactor to be used by constituents of Misamis Oriental as coursed through second district Rep. Juliette Uy and former vice governor Atty. Julio Uy.
Uy, who was not present during the turnover last April 13, was represented by her daughter Villanueva Mayor Jennie Uy-Mendez.
The donation was long overdue. In an interview, with Mindanao Daily Mrs. Chu narrated that the shipment was already on its way to the Philippines when the vessel was stranded by typhoon Odette last December and was forced to change course in Taiwan.
The shipment lagged through storage in Taipei until the Pabatao couple was able to sort things out and the freight was on its way to the country again until it arrived here earlier this month.
“Nindot kaayo ni nga mga wheelchairs kay foamy – ideal g’yud for the elderly,” Chu said.
Meanwhile, the assorted goods contained toys, caps, soccer balls, coats, jackets, beddings and comforters.
On the other hand, the hospital beds are intended to be used in the soon to open Northeastern Misamis General Hospital in barangay Looc, Villanueva whose construction was lobbied by Rep. Uy.
Chu identified their Belgian benefactor-friend as Patrick Haghedooren.
He has been coordinating with Belgian companies these past few years to donate medical equipment to public hospitals in the Philippines.
“I’m not a millionaire, I just do this on a voluntary basis so we have friends in Belgium. We are the one who get these equipment from the hospitals, we are the one loading these to the containers.
We are the one who brings it here and we are the one who identify to see where it’s needed,” Haghedooren once said in an earlier interview with another media entity.
