President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11564, an act establishing the Bacolod City General Hospital and appropriating funds for it, at Malacañan Palace Thursday night, June 24.
House Bill 6731 authored by Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya and Senate Bill 1647 authored Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri seeking the creation of a P600 million Bacolod hospital will now be known as Republic Act No. 11564.
Duterte said the establishment of hospitals are “crucial in strengthening the capacity of the health care system as we continue to overcome the current pandemic”.
He also assured the medical frontliners that the government cares about their plight and will continue to work with Congress to equip them with the proper and functional medical supplies and logistics.
Gasataya, in turn, thanked the president for enacting his bill into law.
“Finally, our dream of having our own hospital in Bacolod City will soon be realized,” Gasataya said.
Gasataya thanked Zubiri for filing the Senate counterpart bill, Senator Bong Go for approving the bill in the Senate Committee on Health and Demography and sponsoring the bill in the Senate floor, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon for the budget allotment amendment, Rep. Angelina Tan for approving the bill in the House Committee on Health, Health Secretary Francisco Duque and the DOH for their support.
Gasataya also thanked his colleagues in the House for voting in favor of the bill and the Bacolod City local government.*