BACOLOR -- The Kapampangan Development Foundation (KDF) led by Benigno Ricafort on Saturday signed a memorandum of agreement with representatives of the Love for Life Foundation (LLF) and the Datu Angeles David Memorial (DADMF) Foundation for the joint management of the Jesus A. Datu Medical Center (JADMC) here.

Ricafort signed the MOA with LLF president Joycelyn Datu and Gen. Christie Datu at the JADMC in Barangay San Vicente here.

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Ricafort told Sun.Star Pampanga in an interview that the agreement aims to open JADMC as a hospital that would cater to the needs of poor folks in the province and would become a venue for social service missions of KDF.

KDF, in the past three years, has been implementing the Health, Education and Livelihood for Pampanga (Help) program, under which it has been able to serve more than 1,000 disabled through its artificial legs program. Hundreds of indigent Kapampangans also benefited from its cataract, harelip and cleft palate surgeries as well as from wheel chair distributions.

"This is a good development since we can now effectively host medical missions and care for the sick. With this center the poor do not have to wait for medical missions to avail of the above services, rather, they can just walk into a center and they will be attended to," Ricafort said.

Ricafort also lauded the LLF and the DADMF, the owners of the land and hospital facility, for embarking the partnership operation of the facility. LLF is the owner of the 1,750-square meter land was DADMF constructed the two-storey hospital.

The facility is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Jesus A. Datu, who dedicated a great part of his life in organizing medical missions for the indigent Kapampangans and before his passing expressed his desire to use part of his resources to build a medical center that will provide health services to indigents in a long term basis. Dr. Datu died of pancreatic cancer in 2008.

Ricafort said the KDF, LLF and DADMF would undertake moves to improve the hospital's facilities.