Mayor Evelio Leonardia said Friday, May 28, that he is optimistic that the bill creating a Bacolod General Hospital will be signed into law.
“The city will seriously pursue prospective lot donors (for the hospital site) and, in coordination with Congressman Greg (Gasataya), we hope to finalize soon a deed of donation of an appropriate area”, he said.
Senate Bill No. 164, authored by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, seeking the creation of a P600 million Bacolod City General Hospital was approved on second reading Wednesday, May 26.
Zubiri expects it to be approved on third reading on Monday and signed into law before the President’s State of the Nation Address on the last Monday of July.
Senate Bill No. 1647 is the counterpart measure of House Bill No. 6731 authored by Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya.
Leonardia, in a statement issued Friday, said he got a call from Sen. Bong Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, and he thanked him for the approval of the bill on the creation of the Bacolod City General Hospital.
“As we thank Sen. Bong and the members of the Senate Committee on Health, we also give credit to Congressman Greg and Senator Migz for their sponsorship of the bill,” he said.
Go said that while the bill “will still pass the Bicameral Committee and third reading in the Senate, he is confident that given the fact that it already passed the hurdle of the second reading, the Senate’s final approval is expected,” Leonardia added.
“I also inquired about its inclusion in the budget of 2022 and he gave his assurances. I just further requested, though, that we maximize the amount to unburden the local finances of the city as eventually it should operate as a partnership between the DOH and LGU,” the mayor added.
What gave him much sense of optimism was Go saying that he was already looking forward to President Rodrigo Duterte’s signing it into law, Leonardia said.*