BACOLOD City Lone District Representative Greg Gasataya has asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Health (DOH) to make a perspective for the construction of the Bacolod City General Hospital in the city.
Gasataya on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, said he held a meeting last week with the DOH and it wanted to conduct a site inspection of the possible areas for the construction of Bacolod City General Hospital.
This, after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) already included in the 2022 National Expenditure Program the budget for the construction of Bacolod City General Hospital in the city.
Gasataya said the DOH earlier informed him that DBM included in the 2022 National Expenditure Program the budget for the Bacolod City General Hospital in the city.
President Rodrigo Duterte already signed into law on June 24, 2021, Republic Acct 11564, creating the Bacolod City General Hospital and appropriating funds for its establishment.
The bill was authored by Gasataya in the House of Representatives and its counterpart in the Senate was also sponsored by Juan Miguel Zubiri.
The Senate allotted a budget of P600 million for the establishment of the Bacolod City District Hospital to be included in the 2022 General Appropriations Act under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program of the DOH.
Gasataya said the perspective of the hospital will be presented during the budget deliberations for the need to fund the construction of the Bacolod City General Hospital.
"We are now preparing this for the start of the budget hearing by August," he said.
He added that they will also hold a meeting with the local government unit and DOH to discuss the implementation of the project.
Gasataya noted that about four private property owners in Bacolod City already expressed their willingness to donate their lots for the construction of the Bacolod General Hospital in the city.
The lawmaker is hopeful that once the budget will be approved next year, the construction of the Bacolod City General Hospital will start soon.
Zubiri also earlier assured the City Government of Bacolod that he will find other sources, starting with an allocation of P200 million to augment its budget for the construction of Bacolod City General Hospital in the city.