• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Bacolod city government will receive P99 million for the completion of the Bacolod City General Hospital (BCGH) in Barangay Vista Alegre, from the Department of Health-Negros Island Region Center.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod already authorized Mayor Greg Gasataya Aug. 19 to sign the memorandum of agreement for the transfer of funds from the DOH, under its Health Facility Enhancement Program (HFEP) in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairperson of the SP Committee on Laws, Ordinances and Good Government, said the allocation came from Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri.
Zubiri is the main author of Republic Act 11564, or the BCGH law, in the Senate, with then Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya in the House, that was approved on June 24, 2021 by then president Rodrigo Duterte.
“I allocated an additional P100 million through my institutional fund amendments because I want the hospital building completed,” Zubiri had told reporters last month. “The funds are for finishing works, such as tiles, fixtures, bathrooms, lighting, ceilings, and all the remaining construction needed to make the building operational.”
Of the P100 million approved allocation, P1 million, or one percent, is for engineering and administrative overhead, representing the allowable deduction by the DOH pursuant to the GAA for CY 2026 and applicable government rules.
The P99 million net amount will be transferred to the city in tranches, with the initial 50 percent upon the execution of the MOA, and verification by the DOH-NIR of the complete documentary requirements.
The 127-bed BCGH will have various facilities, including departments for OB-GYN, pediatrics, surgery, internal medicine, an outpatient department, an emergency room, an operating room, an intensive care unit, a pharmacy, dental clinic, a chapel, and a diagnostic laboratory.
Phase 1 of the project, worth P200 million, started in September 2022, and involved the construction of a multipurpose or ancillary building for various facilities, including a morgue and a dietary building, as well as area development.
The contract for phase 2, or for the construction of the main hospital building, worth P192.48 million, was awarded by the Department of Public Works and Highways in Region 6 in October 2023.
In March this year, Gasataya said phase 1 had been completed, and phase 2 around 80 percent with remaining finishing touches. He said he hopes the hospital will be operational by next year. | CGC
