Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon secured P4.8 billion worth of funding for 2022 for the upgrade of nine hospitals and establishment of four more across the country during a Senate deliberation last Wednesday (May 26).
Drilon compelled the Department of Budget and Management to fund the upgrade of nine hospitals in the 2022 General Appropriations Act under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP).
“The funding of these hospitals will be hanging in the air if there’s no specific appropriation cover. We recognize the need for these hospitals, especially during this pandemic. Hence, we insisted that funding should be included in the measures,” Drilon said.
“Otherwise, these will become unfunded mandates. It will be just a lip service if we pass this without corresponding appropriation,” he added.
Drilon proposed P8 million for the Lying-In Clinic in Rizal, Palawan; P200 million for the capital outlay of the Naguilian Hospital in La Union; P200 million for the Rosario District Hospital in La Union; P200 million for the Sinait District Hospital in Sinait, Ilocos Sur; and P600 million for the capital outlay of the Bacolod City General Hospital in Bacolod City.
In addition, Drilon proposed funding for the establishment of four Department of Health hospitals.
These include P900 million each for Eastern Pangasinan Regional Medical and Trauma Center in Rosales, Pangasinan; Davao Occidental General Hospital in Davao Occidental; Senate President Neptali Gonzales Hospital in Mandaluyong; and Medina Extension Hospital in Misamis Oriental.
The Senate embraced all of Drilon’s amendments, especially the funding for the upgrade of hospitals.
“I am proposing this because I don’t want to disappoint our people. We will pass a law which will add hospital beds and, yet, there is no fund to back it up,” Drilon said. “Our amendments will make the health facilities improvement more credible because there is a corresponding appropriation.” – Report from Eunice Samonte/PG-jlo
