Another milestone has taken place in the history of the Cebu Woman’s Club when the Cebu Puericulture Center & Maternity House, Inc. had its inauguration and formal opening of their Annex Building last July 3.
A special guest of honor who cut the ribbon during the opening of the new building was UC President Atty. Augusto W. Go, concurrently the Honorary Consul of Korea. He was assisted by the indefatigable and workaholic Florencia B. Streegan, President, CPCMHI and Mercedes Albano, President of Cebu Woman’s Club. Prior to the blessing of the Annex Building, a Thanksgiving Mass was celebrated by Msgr. Achilles Dakay. After which, the unveiling of the Commemorative Plaque was done by Flor Streegan and Dr. Suga Sotto Yuvienco, past president of the Puericulture Center and Atty. Gus Go.
It may be recalled that when the Five Year Development Plan (2006-2010) of the CPCMHI, commonly known as Maternity House was conceptualized by their dedicated and committed Medical Director, Dr. Raida Varona who served the longest term of 28 years, funding the project was the first thing on their minds. But she, along with the key personnel and consultant doctors, put together whatever good ideas they had to produce the amount needed to put up that dream building. President Flor Streegan must have had nightmares where to get the funds, but with God’s help and the members’ full support, plus the generous donation of University of Cebu President, Atty. Gus Go, the project was completed. Actually, Pres. Flor in her message said, it was not the huge amount of donation that had so much impact on her, albeit “I confess that I almost fainted when Atty. Go’s secretary called me that he was donating P5 million to the building instead of the P10, 000.00 that I was soliciting!”
Maternity is a project of the Cebu Woman’s Club, a club founded by a group of civic minded women in Cebu in the early 1900. Although the Maternity has been operating independently, they still continue to give financial assistance for the repair and maintenance and procurement of medical equipment needs of the hospital.
Since there is still a year to finish the last stage of the Development Plan, the renovation of their existing old building which again would entail a million more, the very timely offer of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) to refurbish the second floor specifically the Aboitiz Ward, even without their asking, further strengthened their belief that our Lord is and will always be with us…Flor said with overwhelming happiness in her heart.
To President Flor Streegan and all those whose unstinted support is beyond measure, congratulations, and may your tribe increase!