By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City lone district Rep. Greg Gasataya has requested Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to allocate funds for a newly-signed law that increased bed capacity at Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital from 400 to 1,000. The lawmaker said he met with Duque last week with the cabinet official saying he would refer the law to the Department of Budget and Management for inclusion in the 2020 national budget.
Gasataya called it “urgent” to implement the law because the hospital needs to increase maintenance and other operating expenses and cited the hospital is now treating 750 patients with their 400-bed capacity.
House Bill 8835, which was sponsored by former Senator JV Ejercito in the senate, was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte last month./DGB, WDJ