BACOLOD City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod is urging Mayor Evelio Leonardia to consider using available funds to build a city-owned public hospital.
The city’s legislative body recently adopted a resolution authored by Councilor Wilson “Jun” Gamboa to consider using available credit in banks for the construction of the hospital.
“Bacolod City as a highly urbanized city, and now with a population of more than 600,000 people, need to be self-reliant in our health services and not depend on the national government,” Gamboa stressed.
Gamboa said there are still available credit lines for the city government after the Development Bank of the Philippines granted a P1.7-billion loan to fund four flagship projects.
In 2018, the Leonardia administration bared four projects – the P800-million Bacolod MassKara Coliseum, P350-million development of Progreso Village Relocation Site, P350-million Bacolod City College Site Development and Facilities, and the P200-million construction of roads and bridges.
Gamboa said the city council has made a subsidiary motion correcting a portion of the proposed resolution of getting the funds for the city-owned hospital from the “credit in banks” to “available funds”.
The councilor explained the “available funds” include available open credit with several banks, grants, bonds, and appropriation from the national government and institutions.
“They don’t like to make any reference to the P1.7 billion loan because the GP (Grupo Progreso) councilors said it was already earmarked to the four flagship projects,” he added.
Meanwhile, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said the proposed resolution of Gamboa was already moot and academic since there was a subsidiary motion unanimously approved by the city council and there was already a bill in the Senate stating the establishment of the city-owned hospital.
“The hospital was the campaign promise of Grupo Progreso only that it should be funded by the national government,” the vice mayor said./PN
