Tagbilaran Mayor Dan Lim yesterday welcomed the opening of the new Holy Name University Medical Center Foundation, Inc. (HNUMCFI) “I hope that the new hospital will live up not only to the institution's seal of good housekeeping but of Christian love,” the mayor said.  The HNUMCFI, the latest addition to the hospitals in the city, had its grand opening on Friday. This event was described as “another proof of Bohol's blossoming industry”.

The mayor, who could not make it during the opening program, nevertheless expressed hopes that the newest addition will be good not only for the city but also of the province.   In a speech read for him by Vice Mayor Nuevas Tirol-Montes, the mayor said it does not take a political scientist to notice that this country is in terrible shape and there seems to be no sign at the end of the tunnel. “This is the reason why many people, doctors, nurses, therapists and caregivers are leaving the country for the proverbial greener pastures,” he added. The mayor said those who remain are either those who cannot pay for placement fees, those who don't have the drive to aim for a better life, or those who insist to dream better things for the country regardless of the situation. “For you who have not only chosen to remain but actually have shown your commitment by your commitment to this hospital, I salute you all,” he added.

Lim said he assumed that the people behind the hospital are “among the idealists who insist to dream for a better life in spite of all the discouraging things you see.” “Concern for our fellowmen is a vanishing value among us. This is visible in the diminishing concern for the elderly and the sick in the family. If we cannot be concerned about those we profess to love, there is no point in insisting we can give it to others,” he added. The mayor said he is particularly impressed by HNU's emphasis on community concern. He said it is the highest expression of citizenship but stressed that citizenship is not a choice but a responsibility. “A bad government is never an excuse to be a bad citizen,” the mayor added. He pointed out that citizenship is not dependent on political tides or leadership in government so if the country is in bad shape because of the misfits at the helm, its citizens must rise to the occasion.

“Being the husband of a physician, I believe that I understand your problems and share your sentiments. In spite of all your sacrifices, you are not getting the remuneration and the respect that you deserve,” the mayor said. He noted that many doctors are overworked, underpaid and misunderstood. “While you have the desire to serve by administering treatment, you also need to survive in the face of rising prices in medicine and equipment,” the mayor said. Lim lauded the move to launch a venture that demands a higher degree of service not only as concerned citizens but as keepers of the faith. “In these difficult times when more and more people are being recruited to the ranks of the skeptics and the cynical, you have chosen to make a difference,” he added. The mayor said these and other proofs of commitment to public service in particular and to the faith in general have reinforced his beliefs that contrary to the predictions of doomsayers, there is still hope in this country. “We are going through a storm at present but I know the sun will appear when it is all over,” Lim declared.