THE Bacolod City Council approved a resolution appealing to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to reconsider the reduction of medical/financial assistance given to Negros Occidental and Bacolod.
The resolution, which was authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, was approved during the regular session on Thursday, June 13.
Distrito said they are appealing to the PCSO to reconsider the reduction of medical or financial assistance to Negros Occidental and Bacolod or at least to retain the allocation given to the city and the province last year.
He said on April 15, 2019, the reduction of the allocation for medical assistance for indigent patients provided by PCSO in Negros Occidental took effect.
He added from its previous allocation of P211,200 it was slashed to P133,056 or a decrease of P78,144.
Distrito pointed out that the decrease will certainly affect thousands of indigent patients who greatly depend their medical needs to the assistance provided by PCSO, particularly those who undergo dialysis or chemotherapy.
He said despite the fact that the reduction will increase the funds allotted for the indigent patients at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, still, the implementation of the reduction is not timely and unjust for those who primarily depend on the assistance since the effect of it is that they will really have a hard time finding means to cover up their medical needs, otherwise they will suffer, which we do not want to happen.
“We earnestly appeal to the PCSO to reconsider its move to reduce the allocation, and ask if the allocation given last year be retained to spare the indigent patients who depend on it from carrying so much burden,” he added. (MAP)