It is a Merry Christmas indeed for the Barangays of Gen. T. de Leon and Ugong, as their communities get newly-built Barangay Health Station (BHS) which were inaugurated and blessed today, December 13.

Anchored on the theme of the City’s Christmas celebration, “Masaganang Pasko: Tuloy-tuloy ang Asenso!”, the inauguration of Lower Tibagan Gen. T. de Leon Health Station is a much awaited add-on to Barangay Gen. T. de Leon’s emergent health program since the new administration took over this July under Kapitan Alfren Caiña.

Last year, the populous inner community of Lower Tibagan got a new health station from the City Government in its portion under the jurisdiction of Barangay Ugong. Mayor REX Gatchalian immediately instructed the city’s Engineering Office to look for a site to build the health station on for the residents of the portion under Barangay Gen. T. de Leon. An abandoned former daycare center was found fitting for the purpose, and civil works and purchase of equipment began.

Although the residents have also been benefitting from the other health station in Barangay Ugong, they were very thankful that the local government still wanted to bring health services even closer to them. So close that, Mang Kaloy, a long-time resident of the neighborhood exclaimed, “hindi namin lubos maisip na ’yung looban namin, natayuan ng health station na may bagong gamit at naka-duty na mga taong magseserbisyo! (We are in disbelief that this side of extended crowded quarter of our barangay will have a health station with brandnew equipment and personnel on duty.)” He added that the project would ease their feeling of being isolated. 

The Disiplina Village Ugong (DVU) Health Station, on the other hand, is a completion of the planned facilities in the housing project best known as the only LGU-initiated site for the typhoon Ondoy victims. Though the village is very near a health station in 3S Center Ugong, the local government thought it better for the 1.9-hectare community of almost a thousand resident families to have their own facility.

The new DVU HS, Mayor REX said during the inauguration, is the concretization of the Galing Pook Award-winning housing system of providing new safer and complete community to the relocated beneficiaries.

Residents of both the communities will now save time and money in transportation going to a health facility. The closer proximity of these will, hopefully, also inspire the residents to avail of the services and not to take for granted their health concerns.

The new facilities also feature amenities and services available in bigger health stations, like medical and dental consultation, laboratory services, TB-DOTS facilities, midwife station, and pre- and post-natal care, among others. A doctor, nurse, midwife, dentist, and barangay health workers, and other medical staff will man the facilities.

The city government has been building health stations that are World Health Organization (WHO) and Department of Health (DOH)-compliant since 2014. With the inauguration of the Lower Tibagan GTDL HS and DVU HS, Valenzuela City now has 59 health stations to serve the Valenzuelanos in its 33 barangays.

Also inaugurated is the Disiplina Village Ugong Police Outpost, which was funded from the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) PhP 6.9-Million Resettlement Governance Assistance Fund (RGAF). Other facility in the DVU that is being built from the fund is an evacuation center building with a tofu production facility.