Big Brother Togikawa vows more assistance for Hundred Islands Medical Services Complex

Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza solemnizes the wedding of 98 couples
during the  9th Valentines Day mass wedding at the Don Leoploldo Sison
 Auditorium 

The city government of Alaminos has already received a lot from this Good Samaritan but there’s no stopping him in extending anew his gift of love to the Alaminian community. This, as another 40 ft. container full of medical equipment as well as balikbayan boxes with dialysis supplies are expected to arrive here early next month, said Stanley Togikawa, President of Shiraki Memorial Foundation of Hawaii (SMFH). Tokigawa and his lovely wife, Madam Joan, were here last February 12 to formally turn-over the medical equipment, supplies and hospital furniture that his group has donated to the city government particularly to the almost completed Hundred Islands Medical Services Complex (HIMSC). Tokigawa noted that their foundation normally send four to five containers a year and the one that is coming next month for Alaminos will be a forty (40) foot container truck full of hospital beds. Some of the equipment that were donated to the city came from a clinic in Hawaii that has already closed. This include incubators, x ray machine, dialysis machine, BP apparatus, ECG as well as dental chairs, medical supplies, office furniture and a lot hospital beds. The SMFH then partnered with the Medical Supplies Network, Inc. (MSI) of South Erie, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, represented by Director Larry Biron to be able to send four 40 foot container shipments of equipment and medical supplies to Alaminos City. “It’s a pleasure working with you. We thank Alaminos for this partnership as we could send all the items that we have so you could help the people of this city. It was Mayor (Hernani) Braganza’s vision that you would have this medical complex and I’m so glad to see the buildings near completion and probably in another few months you’ll have it ready,” stressed Togikawa. “I could still recall Lemton Agricola told me, almost three years ago, about the needs here of equipment and supplies. It was him who got this started. And then a month later, I meet with the mayor and we decided this is a good project for us to work with you all and to send you used medical as well as supplies,” he continued. Lemton Agricola, the founder of Project (ADAM) Anti-Drug Abuse Movement based in Alaminos, and his wife Venjie, once lived in Hawaii, USA. They have some strong connections with various Christian foundations and benevolent entities and good friends that include couples Stanley and Joan Tokigawa, whom they introduced to the hardworking mayor who was then on official visit to Honolulu in 2010 as Secretary General of League of Cities of the Philippines. In that casual meeting with the visionary mayor and upon hearing his administration’s health care thrust highlighted by the establishment of the first medical complex in the province, Stanley immediately committed a 40 ft container shipment. The shipments arrived in January and Mayor Braganza was personally there when the donations were unloaded and stored at the City Health Office and an undisclosed warehouse for safekeeping pending the completion of the medical complex. Then the next three containers arrived by the end of March. Mr. Tokigawa and his team were here last August to personally inspect the donations of his foundation. Appreciative of how the city government took good care of their gift for the Alaminians and went on to visit the medical complex which construction is on-going, he again committed to the mayor 2 more forty containers of equipment as well as medicines once the HIMSC will be fully operational. Agricola disclosed that the medical equipment and supplies were personally collected by Stanley and his volunteers from different hospitals in Hawaii and ships it over to those countries which such donations are very valuable and helpful to the delivery of their basic services. “Mayor Nani and Stanley became good friends because they share common passion to be of great service to the community and the vision for the poor particularly in providing health care services to the people,” said Agricola. “Stanley is a very nice and humble guy. He is man of action and prestige and we are very lucky that we are among those who benefited from his benevolence.” The Agricolas’ have been very supportive to the city government particularly in the anti-drug prevention drive, providing free computer and internet literacy trainings for out-of-school youth and conducting career guidance and education for job seekers. Meanwhile, City Administrator Wilmer S. Panabang was on hand in welcoming the city’s guests. He was joined by City Councilor Constante Carasi, City Health Officer Ma. Victoria Carambas, some department heads and the faculty and students of the Pangasinan State University Alaminos City Campus. In his message, Panabang extended Mayor Braganza and the city’s utmost gratitude to Sir Stanley, Madam Joan and the men and women of Shiraki Foundation for the wonderful gifts extended to the city and the people of Western Pangasinan. Panabang said “it is but fitting that the turn-over ceremony was held today or two days before the whole world will be celebrating the Valentine’s Day wherein assistance like this is an expression of their love and care to us.” “We are very happy for our friends, our benefactors who are actively assisting us in providing quality health care for our people in this part of the province of Pangasinan,” he continued. And also we would like to say that we are very proud to have you here in our city. “We do hope that our big brother from Hawaii could come back and join us in the formal opening and blessing of our medical complex very soon.” Tokigawa received a plaque of recognition, a specially made e-Kawayan name plate, and Hundred Islands T-shirts from the city administrator as the city government’s simple gesture of gratitude and appreciation for his family and his foundation’s major contributions to Alaminos. In return, Stanley and his wife, played as Santa Claus once again as they gave away home-made goodies to everyone who attended the turn over ceremony. The group immediately proceeded to the nearby medical complex to inspect the medical equipment, furniture, supplies and all the stuffs donated by Shiraki Foundation that were already put inside the newly constructed buildings. Tokigawa is expected to be back anytime soon to see how their donations have impacted the lives of Alaminians and thousands of patients in Western Pangasinan that will likely avail of quality, accessible and affordable services of the medical complex once it’s already fully operational. (CIO)