Senator to push for final approval of Bacolod Hospital on Monday

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said he will push for the approval of the Senate bill creating the Bacolod Hospital on third and final reading on May 31, 2021.

Zubiri confirmed to Daily Guardian here on Thursday that Senate Bill No. 1647 which seeks for the creation of a P600 million Bacolod City General Hospital was approved by the Senate on second reading Wednesday night.

SB No. 1647, which was authored by Zubiri, is the counterpart measure of House Bill No. 6731 authored by Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya.

Zubiri said he hopes that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signs the bill into law before the President’s State of the Nation Address in July this year.

He said that the amendment to the bill stated that an amount of P600 million will be appropriated for the construction of the hospital under the 2022 General Appropriation Act, specifically the Health Facilities Enhancement Program of the Department of Health.

Zubiri said the establishment of the Bacolod General Hospital will also decongest the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital which caters to residents outside of Bacolod.

Gasataya said he is thankful to Zubiri, as the author of the Senate counterpart bill for the hospital, Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto, Health Committee chair Senator Bong Go and Minority Leader Ilonggo Senator Franklin Drilon.

“I understand our need for better public healthcare. That is why we made healthcare and medical assistance our priority,” he said.