Gov. Espino to sign MOA with DOH for hospitals upgrading worth P67.8M

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan-The provincial board led by Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim, Jr. unanimously approved a resolution that allows Governor Amado I. Espino III to enter into and sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Health Regional Office 1 for the implementation of the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) for 2017 in seven provincial government hospitals.

Authored by Sanggunian Panlalawigan Member Jeremy Agerico Rosario, Provincial Resolution No. 1020-2017 which was approved by the august body on September 18, to cause the seven hospitals avail of a total project cost amounting to P67.8 million.

The seven hospitals are as follows: Urdaneta District Hospital, P20M; Bayambang District Hospital, P6M; Lingayen District Hospital, P10M; Asingan Community Hospital, P2M; Dasol Community Hospital, P11.8M; Manaoag Community Hospital, P8M; and Umingan Community Hospital, P10M.
As stated in the resolution, the HFEP is a DOH program that aims to improve and upgrade health facilities in order to sufficiently provide emergency and primary health care services to people.

BM Baniqued noted that the HFEP’s budget has been allocated for infrastructure projects for local government units in the country to include Pangasinan as one of the beneficiaries for three years now.

Dr. Cielo Almoite, Asst. Provincial Health Officer, disclosed that the other seven provincial hospitals have earlier received the same projects in the past year. Cost of funding per hospital, she added, depends on the identified needs each hospital as assessed by the Provincial Engineering Office (PEO). Copy of approved program of works and detailed estimates, plans and specifications will be forwarded to the DOH regional office.

The following are the projects to be undertaken in the aforementioned hospitals:

• Urdaneta District Hospital- construction of two storey OPD and Public Health, construction of CSSR and dialysis building, extension of laboratory, rehabilitation of pharmacy are/old CSSR and construction of nurses’ quarters.
• Bayambang District Hospital- construction of warehouse/central storage building, construction of elevated water tank, construction of septic vault for infectious and hazardous waste, construction of holding area.
• Lingayen District Hospital- construction of pedia ward and isolation room for pedia, construction of hospital sewage treatment plan.
• Asingan Community Hospital- construction of Philhealth ward (male and female), construction of patient-watcher area, construction of laundry area, expansion/rehabilitation of hospital building.
• Dasol Community Hospital- construction of additional isolation room, patients’ waiting area, TBDOTS and Animal Bite, cadaver holding area/morgue, concrete vault for sharps and infectious waste, elevated concrete water tank and paraphernalia; repair of roofing system, re-tiling and repainting of main building; expansion for additional medical ward; provision of FDAS, paging system and CCTV.
• Manaoag Community Hospital- construction of hospital sewage treatment plant, renovation/improvement of hazardous waste holding facility (solid waste), renovation of OR/DR Complex, provision of additional medical ward/retrofitting of existing ward.
• Umingan Community Hospital- construction of additional ward (2nd floor due to limited space with roof deck) and retrofitting of pedia ward, private ward, male surgical ward and female surgical ward.

HFEP was crafted in 2008 mainly to align the nationwide government hospital system with the Health Reform Sector Agenda. Priorities for funding were the upgrade of licensing classification and PhilHealth accreditation of government hospitals and expansion of services in tertiary hospitals to provide higher quality care. (Ruby R. Bernardino /Photos by RPGIII)

UB: Atom Araullo, nagbalik-Kapuso para maghatid ng serbisyong totoo

Political will… daw!

DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco (The Philippine Star)

Updated September 22, 2017 - 12:00am

It is probably just as well that Transport Secretary Art Tugade didn’t get his emergency powers from Congress. Now he has an excuse for having obligated only 18 percent of his 2017 budget with less than four months to go. Having obligated one’s budget, in bureaucratese, means wala pang nagawa... plano pa lang.

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One other major project that needs strong political will is the connector road project from NLEX to SLEX. Once completed, it is supposed to absorb as much as 50 per cent of EDSA traffic. It is supposed to be completed next year but is now indefinitely delayed due to right of way issues. Here are specifics:

1. For section 1 from Buendia to Quirino - ROW is yet to be secured over property owned by Sincere Lumber Corp. TRB and DPWH still negotiating.

2. For section 2 from Plaza Dilao to SM Centerpoint, nothing is happening on ROW negotiations between government and affected private land owners. There is a pending San Juan River realignment proposal with DPWH to hasten the construction in this particular section to avoid ROW problems and meet completion targets. DPWH Sec Mark Villar can’t seem to make the decision to allow the diversion even as he also can’t deliver the ROW.

3. For section 3 from Aurora Blvd to Balintawak - ROW issues include various residential and commercial properties plus those of NGCP and Meralco. Tugade has to get Villar to act faster so this extremely vital project can be completed sooner.

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Tugade seems to be concentrating more on PR than actually groundbreaking projects. That isn’t going to work. Sen Legarda already exposed him for underperforming, if the non use of his budget is an indication.

Sing Philippine anthem properly or face jail

Philippine legislators have backed a proposed law which could see performers jailed for two years for disrespecting the national anthem by singing off-key or deviating from the song's original martial tempo.

Members of house of representatives were incensed at the way "Lupang Hinirang" (Revered Homeland) was sung at the boxing matches of seven-time Filipino world champion Manny Pacquiao, Teddy Atienza of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines said.

"Our national anthem is always being vulgarised," said Atienza, head of the government commission's heraldry division.

The proposal aims to toughen up a 1998 flag and heraldic law under which performing the anthem inappropriately can be punished with a year's prison and a small fine, officials said.

The new bill, passed on Monday by a parliament that now includes Pacquiao himself, would double the jail term and raise the fines to a maximum of 100,000 pesos ($2,285).

But it will only take effect if the Senate passes a similar version and President Benigno Aquino III signs it. Atienza admitted a similar Senate bill has not made much progress.

He said the government had filed a suit in Manila against Christian Bautista, who forgot several lyrics of the anthem at the exhibition match of Gerry Peñalosa and Bernabe Concepcion in September 2007 and Filipino-American singer Martin Nievera, who is alleged to have taken liberties with his performance of the anthem at Pacquiao's May 2009 fight against Briton Ricky Hatton.

The commission has also criticised other prominent entertainers for the "wrong" way they sang the anthem at previous Pacquiao fights.

They include Arnel Pineda, a Filipino who was taken to task for going off key during Pacquiao's fight against Ghana's Joshua Clottey in Texas last March.