Lawmaker’s aide thanks mayor

ANGELES CITY -- A close aide of first district Representative Carmelo Lazatin expressed gratitude last Friday to Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan for accepting their guarantee letters for financial assistance of indigent patients at the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center (RLMMC).

“On behalf of Congressman Lazatin, I would like to thank Mayor Pamintuan for accepting the guarantee letters from Congressman Lazatin’s office,” said IC Calaguas, Lazatin’s chief of staff.

RLMMC, formerly known as Ospital Ning Angeles, recently began accepting guarantee letters from Lazatin’s office. The letters include the ones for patients Shanell Susan and Louise Janell Gopez, each amounting to P2,500, and Erica Pineda, amounting to P3,492.

On October 12, the Lazatin camp hit Pamintuan due to RLMMC’s refusal to honor the guarantee letter presented by patient Ronalyn Dayrit, a resident of Barangay Santa Trinidad, which seeks to pay Dayrit’s hospital bill amounting to P4,877.

Former Santa Trinidad village councilman Efren Buan, who helped Dayrit secure a guarantee letter from Lazatin’s office, earlier appealed to Pamintuan not to drag public service into politics.

“Natutuwa kami dahil yan naman ang gusto ni Congressman Lazatin, ang isantabi ang pamumulitika kapag serbisyo publiko na ang pinag-uusapan, lalo na ang serbisyo medical para sa mahihirap,” Calaguas said.

Lazatin has allocated P500,000 from his Priority Development Assistance Fund to the Angeles City Government. The money will be used to provide financial assistance for the indigent patients of RLMMC.