Gonzaga: Bacolod General Hospital: Dream come true?

GONZAGA
GONZAGA

“OUR dream to have our own hospital will now materialize,” Rep. Greg Gasataya jubilantly said yesterday (June 3, 2021) after the Senate passed on third and final reading Senate Bill 1647, establishing the Bacolod General Hospital (BGH). Gasataya reiterated that " it has been a long dream of the city government to provide quality and accessible healthcare for every Bacolodnon and he hopes that this legislation will benefit even future generations. Now that it has already been approved in the Senate, it will be forwarded to President Rodrigo Duterte, for signing into law."

The news about the successful passage of Senate Bill 1647, creating BGH is welcome news indeed for long-suffering Bacolodnons who have endured long lines at the regional hospital in the heat of the sun, and the cold rain showers to avail of its services. Yet, the bill awaiting Pres. Duterte's signature is marked by serious questions on its operationalization. Lawyer Isagani G. Tan Jr. of the movement, A Better Bacolod, argues it as an example of a canned bill. While there is mentioned that the Bacolod City Government - LGU will provide funding, he questions if we really believe that there is funding available from the city.

The perceptive lawyer writes, "I would even venture to think that there are no working papers or preliminary supporting documents from the Local Government Unit of Bacolod City passing an ordinance for the establishment, construction and operation of the Bacolod City General Hospital. As he argues, "There being no ordinance, there might not have been a feasibility study to support the Bacolod City General Hospital that includes the customary identification of the location, the size of the hospital, the design of the facilities and amenities including number of rooms, the services it offers to provide and more importantly an indicative cost estimate to build the Bacolod City General Hospital. Likewise, as in an ordinance, there is an identification of the source of funds and inclusion in the annual investment program, among others."

Mayor Leonardia's ready response to Gasataya's jubilant announcement about the creation of the BGH that there is a need to maximize the amount for the creation of the hospital to unburden the local finances of the city appears to validate Tan's assertion.

"Absent these prelims, notwithstanding political accommodation to pass on the bill by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the much-vaunted and advertised Bacolod City General Hospital is more of a political advertisement, in the words of civil society leader Atty. Gani Tan. It is targeted to gain political mileage yet in truth and in fact there really is nothing by way of preparation and political will to make this project happen within the term of the present set of city officials including the lone district representative," Tan said.

The burning question posed by our good lawyer, "Is this all that the present set of city officials can offer and do amidst the clamor for a genuine, real, felt and urgent need for a Bacolod City General Hospital other than the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital?"

His answer to his own question, "Thinking, bruiting and mulling over this really make me very, very sad that our present officials can afford to "sweet talk" and offer "empty promises" to our people in Bacolod City. They do this knowing the bane and blight their brand of traditional rent-seeking politics is leading our city to the dogs."

His conclusion is for every Bacolodnon to campaign really hard, and smart to replace these city officials. "They have been fooling our people most of the time, if not all of the time."

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