A P50 million fund has been included in the 2021 national budget for the expansion of the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH) in Silay City, while talks on the transfer of the Negros Occidental provincial government offices to a 25-hectare property in Talisay City will begin in January, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said today, December 29.
Lacson said he was assured by a senator, whom he would not name, that P50 million has been included in the national budget for an infectious disease section at the hospital.
The amount has yet to be officially downloaded for the Department of Health expansion project, he added.
A meeting with local chief executives will also be held in January to finally decide whether the provincial government offices should be transferred to Talisay City, Lacson said.
The governor said he will also meet with the business sector to get their opinion on the transfer.
Lacson said the biggest achievement of the provincial government in 2020 was the establishment of the first local government-owned molecular laboratory in the region for COVID-19 tests.
The laboratory located at the TLJPH has helped the provincial government get COVID-19 test results faster, he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic also did not hinder the provincial government’s programs for rice farmers, that resulted in increased yield per hectare, he said.
The provincial government also continued to distribute piglets to hog raisers and has kept Negros Occidental African Swine Fever (ASF) free, he said.
Lacson said because of this Negrense hog raisers are experiencing a bonanza in the sale of their pork in Metro Manila, which has much higher prices than in the provinces.
In 2021, the provincial government will continue to build roads and school buildings, and continue to help Negrense rice farmers and animal raisers to boost the economy, he said.*