Duterte signs law creating Bacolod hospital

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – The bill establishing the Bacolod City General Hospital (BCGH) has been signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte Thursday.

“Bacolod City has long been in need of a tertiary government hospital to cater to its over half a million residents,” said Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, author and co-sponsor of the Senate counterpart of the bill.

In a statement sent to Daily Guardian here, Zubiri further said, “So we thank the President for his swift signing of this timely and necessary law.”

In the 2015 national census, Bacolod City was recorded to have 561,875 residents, making it the most populated city in Western Visayas.

Its residents are serviced by the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH), which caters to the whole of Negros Occidental at a 400-bed capacity.

CLMMRH is the sole tertiary government hospital in the province.

“The establishment of the BCGH will do two things. One, it will deliver accessible and affordable medical care to Bacolod. And two, it will ease the pressure on CLMMRH and other medical institutions in the province, both public and private,” Zubiri said.

The senator said he will continue working with Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Rep. Greg Gasataya to ensure that the hospital will be realized as soon as possible.

Gasataya, who is the main author of the bill in the House of Representatives, said he is happy that a hospital for Bacolod City will soon be a reality.

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia said he was also invited to the signing ceremony but did not attend as his sister was laid to rest also on Thursday.