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LeBron James preaches patience

LeBron James has already been on the court for 23 minutes and change before he made his first dunk in a Laker uniform. In fact, he reached the milestone in his second game; in his first, he settled for looping threes and midrange jumpers through 15 minutes of exposure. In hindsight, it was, perhaps, meant to be. For all the times he strutted his stuff at the Staples Center since being selected first overall in the 2003 draft, he hadn’t done so in purple and gold until yesterday.
Two games in, its clear that James won’t be leading the Lakers from the lottery to the championship on his inaugural season. From his vantage point, all of the pieces on the board are new, and he will need practice after practice, game after game, to get acclimated to his teammates, not to mention his role in guiding them to success. He’s still widely considered the best of the best, but even he can do only so much in a team sport, where the last man riding the pine at the end of the bench needs to contribute to progress.
That said, James has undoubtedly galvanized the Lakers, and to the point where they are once again thinking about rubbing elbows at the top. They’ve always thought big, in part because of their storied past, and in larger measure because of the intrinsic advantages they hold as the National Basketball Association’s glamour franchise. Nonetheless, his very presence transforms them from dreamers to doers. And with a little luck and additional roster tweaks, they should be ready to truly contend.
Meanwhile, the Lakers would do well to temper their expectations. James already has, understanding that in the deep, deep West, talent alone holds no guarantees. It’s why he broke recent tradition and signed on for four years, and why he knows well enough to preach patience at every turn. And just as he waited until he had a prime opportunity to go for his first slam, so will he willingly take baby steps to move forward. His goal is still the same. He just needs forbearance to get there.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Main index rebounds on Fed chairman’s remarks

THE MAIN INDEX snapped its three-day losing streak on Wednesday as it took a breather from oversold conditions in previous sessions.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) traded sideways for most of the day before jumping 1.1% or 78.51 points to 7,210.87. The broader all-shares index also climbed 0.54% or 24.17 points to 4,422.97.
“Philippine shares took a breather as investors focused on issues affecting other regional markets today, namely the Fed Chairman reiterating a muted inflation for the US, and the unfolding of the Europe budget debacle,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile message on Wednesday.
Investors took cues from US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s statement that there are no signs of inflation spiking amid a low unemployment rate. Markets in the US ended mixed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.46% or 122.73 points to 26,773.94. Both the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq Composite index fell, dropping 0.04% and 0.47%, respectively.
“Locally and in Asia, investors remain tentative as no fresh catalysts hit the market with China out for Golden Week,” Regina Capital’s Mr. Limlingan added.
Meanwhile, Papa Securities Corp. trader Gabriel Jose F. Perez said overall sentiment remained the same, with investors just waiting for the release of September inflation figures on Friday.
“The overall sentiment has been the same since the start of the week with participants waiting on Friday’s inflation data release. Until then, we might still see more of the low value turnover we’ve been encountering,” Mr. Perez said in an e-mail.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas earlier said inflation have reached 6.8% last month, or within a range of 6.3-7.1%. The Department of Finance on the other hand, expects the reading to be the same as August’s figure of 6.4%.
All sectoral indices ended in positive territory. Property surged 2.1% or 73.39 points to 3,557.67, followed by mining and oil which gained 1.54% or 133.50 points to 8,766.42. Industrials rose 1.07% or 111.66 points to 10,543.46; holding firms went up 1.04% or 72.99 points to 7,088.42; services added 0.46% or 7.02 points to 1,507.50; while financials posted an uptick of 0.31% or 5.03 points to 1,614.14.
Some 587.96 million issues switched hands, resulting in a P5.44-billion turnover, slightly lower than Tuesday’s P5.70 billion. Advancers beat decliners by a slim margin, 93 to 92, while 60 names closed flat.
Foreign investors dumped P281.90 million worth of funds on Wednesday, slowing down from the previous session’s P397.38 million.
Thirteen out of the 20 most active stocks for the day ended with gains, including Manila Electric Co. (up 4.91% to P358.80); PXP Energy Corp. (up 4.84% to P16.90); Ayala Land, Inc. (up 3.05% to P40.50); and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (up 2.35% to P4.80). — Arra B. Francia

Peso up on consolidation ahead of data

THE PESO strengthened ahead of inflation data on Friday.

THE PESO went up against the dollar on Wednesday as it consolidated ahead of the inflation data release on Friday.
The local unit closed at P54.18 versus the dollar on Wednesday, up seven centavos from the previous close of P54.25. The peso opened flat at P54.25, while it traded as high as P54.17-per-dollar intraday. Its worst showing stood at P54.27 versus the greenback.
Trading volume grew to $725.2 million from the $655.4 million that switched hands the previous day.
A foreign exchange trader said on Wednesday that the peso strengthened as it traded within a tight range.
“The dollar peso was quite trading in a range. So roughly around 10-cent range,” the trader said in a phone interview yesterday.
The trader added there was “sizeable corporate demand” as the market sentiment is “going for a stronger dollar-peso.”
“In the afternoon, we saw it trading stronger to its close. I think this is a repositioning before the inflation data on Friday as well as the non-farm payroll.”
A faster inflation print last month is widely expected following August’s 6.4%. Market consensus is at 6.8%, according to a BusinessWorld poll’s median forecast for headline inflation in September. This matches the estimate given by central bank and faster than the 6.4% projection by the Department of Finance.
The jobs report in the United States will also be released on Friday.
Meanwhile, another trader said the local currency strengthened as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas approved the implementing guidelines of the Currency Risk Protection Program.
“This contributed to the positive sentiment towards the currency,” the second trader added.
For Thursday, the first trader expects the peso to move between P54.15 and P54.30, while the other gave a P54.10-P54.40 range.
“The peso might weaken again due to caution ahead of the inflation report on Friday,” the second trader said. — K.A.N. Vidal

Optimism falls double digits in SWS Q3 survey

OPTIMISM toward personal qualify of life and expectations on the Philippine economy fell double digits in a new survey by the Social Weather Stations.
The Third Quarter 2018 Social Weather Survey, conducted Sept. 15-23, found 28% (“gainers”) of adult Filipinos saying their lives improved and 30% losers saying their lives worsened, leading to a negative Net Gainers score of -2 (% gainers minus % losers), classified by SWS as “fair.”
That score is 7 points below the “high” +5 in June and is the lowest since the “fair” -8 in September 2014, SWS said, noting further, “This is the first time for Net Gainers to be negative again, after 14 consecutive quarterly positive scores, starting in the First Quarter of 2015.”
DOUBLE-DIGIT FALL
The noncommissioned survey found 36% “optimists” expecting their personal quality of life to improve in the next 12 months and 9% “pessimists” expecting it to get worse, for a Net Personal Optimists score of a “high” +27 (% Optimists minus % Pessimists), yet 17 points down from the “excellent” +44 in June. SWS also said this September score is the lowest since the “high” +27 in August 2012.
The survey also found 31% optimistic that the Philippine economy next year would get better, and 20% feeling it would deteriorate, for a Net Economic Optimists score of a “very high” +11 (% Economic optimists minus % Economic pessimists), but still 19 points below the “excellent” +30 in June. The polling group said this is the lowest since the “high” +6 in March 2015.
Net Personal Optimism refers to expectations in personal quality of life, while Net Economic Optimists refers to expectations about the general Philippine economy.
SWS said the 17-point fall in Net Personal Optimists was due to declines in all areas from June to September.
Like Net Personal Optimists, Net Economic Optimists also fell in all classes and all areas, with Mindanao’s 21-point drop comparing with Metro Manila’s 8-point decline.
DECLINE IN GAINERS
The 7-point decline in the national Net Gainers score was due to declines in Mindanao, Metro Manila and Balance Luzon, combined with an increase in the Visayas.
Net Gainers also fell sharply in class ABC by 30 points, from an “excellent” +31 in June to “fair” -1 in September, and also had a significant decline of 13 points to -14.
“Net Gainers declined in overall urban areas, from net zero (fair) in June to -2 (fair) in September, and in overall rural areas, from +10 (very high) in June to -2 (fair) in September,” SWS said.
“By gender, it fell among women, from +7 (high) in June to +3 (high) in September, and among men, from +3 (high) to -7 (fair) in September.”
The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide: 600 in Balance Luzon, and 300 each in Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao, with sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for Balance Luzon, and ±6% each for the other areas.

Labor deputy fired

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte said he has fired Labor Undersecretary Joel B. Maglunsod.
Mr. Duterte made this announcement during the presentation of rebel returnees at Camp Juan Ponce Sumuroy in Catarman, Samar, last Tuesday, Oct. 2.
But Mr. Maglunsod, the undersecretary for Labor Relations of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), said when sought for comment on Wednesday: “Sorry po, hindi ko alam ‘yon. I-tsek ko pa po (Sorry, I have no idea about that. I will check first).”
In his speech, Mr. Duterte said: “Iyong Undersecretary ng Labor,…Joel Maglunsod, pinaalis ko (The Undersecretary of Labor, Joel Maglunsod, I fired him).”
“Hindi ko po talaga alam… Nagtanong din ako sa sarili ko ano kakulangan ko? O ano kasalanan ko sa DoLE? Kasi lahat ng mga ginagawa namin doon, para…sa mamamayan natin, siyempre ‘yung itigil ang contractualization at for the regularization ng mga mamamayan natin. ‘Yun ang mga effort natin,” Mr. Maglunsod said.
(I really do not know about that. I also asked myself, where did I go wrong? Have I done anything wrong to DoLE? Because everything we do there is for the people. And, of course, it is to end contractualization and for the regularization of our workers. Those are our efforts.)
Mr. Maglunsod is a former Anakpawis representative and a leader of the leftist Kilusang Mayo Uno. Mr. Duterte did not mention his affiliation but apparently referred to that in his remarks:
“Pinagbigyan ko sila noon. Eh, ‘yung ideology niyo. Pero in the long run, gusto nila pati sila magdala ng gobyerno,” he said, addressing the rebel returnees. (I gave them a chance before. (But) your ideology. But in the long run, they want to take over the government.)
“Makipag-away ka sa akin, makipag-barilan ka tapos ngayon sabihin mo kasama tayo sa gobyerno…Kalokohan ‘yan.” (You fight me and shoot me, and then now, you say we’re together in government. That’s foolishness.)
“Ayan pakisabi — pati ‘yang (Kilusang) Mayo Uno na ito mag — ipaaresto ko lahat ‘yan.” (Tell them, including this Mayo Uno, I will have them arrested.)
Before Mr. Maglunsod, leftist officials like Judy M. Taguiwalo, Rafael V. Mariano, and Liza L. Maza were also prompted to leave the government.
For his part, Alan A. Tanjusay, spokesperson of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, said in a statement: “[We] were surprised at the news saying Usec. Joel Maglunsod was fired by the President.”
He cited Mr. Maglunsod as being “very active in linking labor groups and workers organizations’ concerns and issues to the DoLE, business and employers groups, and to the President.”
“[Mr. Maglunsod] was always ready to listen and work out solutions to workers in trouble with their employers. [He] was (a) key DoLE official in helping move the very important security of tenure bill. He was also a key DoLE official in regularizing thousands of ‘endo’ workers,” Mr. Tanjusay also said. —with Gillian M. Cortez

BoC, BIR officials fired over SALNs

By Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan, Reporter
THE DEPARTMENT of Finance (DoF) has dismissed five Customs officials in the first eight months of the year, over “false declarations” in their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN), and penalized more from other revenue agencies over administrative violations.
This is in compliance with orders from the Office of the Ombudsman and the Civil Service Commission (CSC), after the successful prosecution of cases.
A statement by the DoF on Wednesday cited its Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) as saying that five Bureau of Customs employees made “false declaration” in their SALNs.
Headed by Finance Undersecretary Bayani H. Agabin, RIPS conducts regular lifestyle checks on DoF officials, including those in attached agencies like the BoC and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
Customs Operations Officers Uthman Mamadra and Rosalinda Mamadra were found guilty of serious dishonesty and grave misconduct for their failure to declare a complete, true and detailed inventory of their real properties in Parañaque City, Cavite and Mindoro Occidental; 12 pieces of firearms, and several motor vehicles, in their SALNs for the years 2003-2012.
They were barred from holding public office, forfeited of their retirement benefits, and were slapped with the accessory penalties.
SALNs are a mandatory declaration by government officials of all their properties and liabilities in a given year and are required to be renewed every year.
Delia Morala, Customs Operations Officer V of the BOC, was also slapped the same penalties after failing to declare real properties in Manila and Pangasinan, as well as her husband’s business interests in private corporations.
The DoF also said BoC Special Agent I Orlando Sangid, was dismissed from the service and meted with accessory penalties for misdeclaring several real properties, motor vehicles and business interests in his SALNs from 2004 to 2014.
Guillermo Roxas, Customs Security Guard II, was dismissed from the service with the accessory penalties of forfeiture of retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification from holding public office over his “failure to secure the necessary travel authority for his trips abroad and failure to declare certain assets and business interests in his SALN from 2003 to 2014,” as well as “willfully disregarding established rules, and falsifying his daily time record for September 2014.”
Meanwhile, Pangasinan municipal treasurer Loida Cancino and her husband Norberto Cancino, a municipal engineer, were suspended for six months and one day and meted a fine of P5,000, after they were “found administratively liable for less serious dishonesty.”
Former Revenue Officer III Zenia Astorga was also ordered to pay a P3,000 fine for conflict of interest between her position and her business interests, a year after she retired.
“Four other employees from the BoC and two from the BIR were found administratively liable of the lesser offense of simple neglect of duty and meted the penalty of suspension from service for one to three months, aside from facing criminal indictments. Two other employees from BoC and BIR were reprimanded,” the DoF said.
Last year, RIPS investigated a total of 104 cases against suspected erring officials and employees under the DoF.

PCOO deputy quits

By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
COMMUNICATIONS Assistant Secretary Esther Margaux “Mocha” J. Uson has announced her resignation and hinted possible plans to run in the 2019 midterm elections.
Ms. Uson made this disclosure at the Senate budget hearing on her agency on Wednesday, about a week before the deadline period for the filing of candidacies for next year’s elections.
Ms. Uson said her resignation was prompted by some members of the House of Representatives who were allegedly withholding the budget of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) due to her repeated absence in the budget deliberations by that chamber.
“Every year, I have been told not to criticize lawmakers so the PCOO budget will not be withheld. Even though the present system angers me, it should be followed. So I will sacrifice myself so the budget of PCOO is passed. I have decided to resign,” she said in Filipino during the Senate budget hearing.
Her resignation letter released by Malacañang on Wednesday was dated Sept. 28 and indicated that she has resigned effective Oct. 1. This was around the time she went to New York to attend the 73rd United Nations General Assembly with officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Asked whether she intends to run in the midterm polls, Ms. Uson said she was open to run for the Senate or the House of Representatives. During the hearing, she said she would bring her fight against abusive lawmakers to the two chambers of Congress.
“Senate or Congress? Just like what the President told me, let the people decide. Our kababayan are in Facebook so let’s see their sentiments there,” she told reporters.
Now a private citizen, Ms. Uson vowed that she would intensify her efforts to defend President Rodrigo R. Duterte from critics, saying “abangan niyo na lang po, may blog naman ako so raratsada tayo du’n, bakbakan na talaga ito (let us watch out, I have a blog anyway so we will step up there, this is really war).”
Sought for comment, presidential spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said, “I wish her the best, I’ll miss her. But she did make it clear that she’ll continue her advocacy. Lagot silang lahat kay (they’re going to be in trouble with) Mocha Uson.”
In a statement, the Vice-President’s spokesperson Ibarra M. Gutierez reminded Ms. Uson that she should be held accountable over her attacks against the President’s critics despite her resignation. The former Palace official has repeatedly criticized Vice-President Maria Leonor G. Robredo, who also chairs the opposition Liberal Party.
“There are many times that Mocha Uson has shown that she does not understand and she is not ready to perform the duties of a public servant. This is why her resignation is not a loss for the country. She should not make the mistake in thinking that just because she resigned, she will not be held accountable for all her lies and libelous statements,” Mr. Gutierrez said in Filipino.
Asked for comment on Ms. Uson’s plan to rail against critics, opposition Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV told reporters, “That is her right and that is really the situation during campaign period….I don’t see anything wrong with that and in fact, it’s more appropriate for her to do that now she is no longer in government.”
Also at the budget hearing, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III proposed the revival of Malacañang’s Office of the Press Secretary to replace the PCOO. He said Congress can allot the budget of the PCOO into the Office of the Press Secretary.
“The perspective of some members of the Senate is that we have completely digressed already from the original intent of the creation of the Press Secretary….Perhaps this is the best time to study, while studying your budget, to review and study the possibility of reverting it back into the Office of the Press Secretary,” Mr. Sotto said.
Mr. Roque said the decision to bring back the Press Secretary’s office will have to come from the President.
“Well, I will bow to the wisdom of our legislators. I understand that was actually the system and I noticed the pictures in the stairways they are all press secretaries. But that will have to be a decision to be made also by the President because the creation of PCOO is by reason of an executive order, power of the President to reorganize the bureaucracy.” — with Arjay L. Balinbin

Cayetano lambasts BBC documentary on PHL democracy

THE PHILIPPINES’ top diplomat on Wednesday slammed an episode of British broadcasting network BBC’s Our World, which tackled the state of the country’s democracy under President Rodrigo R. Duterte, calling the program an “anti-Duterte propaganda.”
“The documentary… amounts to nothing more than anti-Duterte propaganda, more worthy of tabloid journalism and gossip than the venerable institution that we thought BBC was,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said in a statement.
“The episode misleads viewers about President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s anti-illegal drug strategy, which is actually making Philippine society safer, healthier, and more prosperous for the Filipino people. It fails to mention that the strategy is a diversified and community-based approach that includes enforcement, rehabilitation, and reintegration,” he added.
The BBC report, titled “Philippines: Democracy in Danger?,” featured how the administration has been carrying out its illegal drug campaign, the alleged harassment of opposition personalities, and the perceived similarities of Mr. Duterte with the leadership style of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Mr. Cayetano said the BBC episode did not take into consideration the efforts made by the Duterte administration to address police officials and other government personnel involved in the illegal drug trade.
He then cited that the Philippine government has arrested 576 government workers while 498 are being investigated for drug-related cases. Some 105 uniformed personnel have been dismissed for drug-offenses.
He also noted that 235 drug dens and laboratories were dismantled, P24.12 billion worth of illegal drugs were seized, and 8,444 barangays were cleared of illegal drugs since Mr. Duterte took office.
Mr. Cayetano also called the report “one-sided” on the issue of press freedom and the cases of the administration’s critics such as the ouster of former Supreme Court chief justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno as well Senators Leila M. De Lima and Antonio F. Trillanes IV who are facing legal battles.
“It overlooks the fact that all three have been given and continue to be given their day in court. The rule of law has been upheld in all three cases… Freedom of the press is important to the health of any democracy,” he said.
The Foreign Affairs secretary called on the BBC to «present an accurate and balanced view» of the situation in the Philippines so its audience can assess the health of the Philippines’ democracy.
“More importantly, we believe that by doing so, BBC will be able to regain the trust of its audience in its journalistic professionalism and repair the damage it has inflicted on the Philippines and the Filipino people as a result of this one-sided documentary,” he said. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

Makati opens 31 realty tax satellite payment centers

BARANGAY HALLS in Makati will be used as satellite centers for the collection of 4th quarter real estate taxes, the city government announced Monday. Specific days have been designated in 31 areas from Oct. 2 to 12. Meanwhile, the Realty Tax Division at the 2nd floor of Makati City Hall Building I will also be open to serve taxpayers on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 6, 13, 20, and 27. It will also serve clients during regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Based on the city’s Revenue Code, a 5% discount is given to quarterly payments made during the first 20 days of the quarter. On the other hand, late quarterly payments will incur a penalty of 2% per month.

CPP tells Palace: Why would we ‘push’ for martial law?

THE COMMUNIST Party of the Philippines (CPP) has denied the military’s allegation that it is “pushing” President Rodrigo R. Duterte to declare nationwide martial law through the so-called “Red October” ouster plot.
“To now claim that the CPP will ‘create chaos,’ supposedly ‘like in Plaza Miranda’ to ‘force’ Duterte to fulfill his most ardent wish, is at best, lazy and clumsy. The claim simply defies logic. Why should the CPP ‘push’ for Martial Law nationwide when it has repeatedly condemned and called for the lifting of Martial Law in Mindanao?,” the CPP said in a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 2, as posted on its official Website, the Philippine Revolution Web Central.
“Again, there is no Red October plot orchestrated by the CPP. The more Duterte and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) are trying to prove this so-called plot, the more they sound incredulous,” the group said.
For his part, Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said, “We stand by the statement of AFP that the CPP is pushing the President to place the country under martial law. By sowing chaos through its Red October ouster plot, the CPP hopes that a nationwide martial law declaration would spark people’s outrage. We will therefore not fall into this trap hatched by the enemies of the State.”
Mr. Roque also said that Mr. Duterte “sees no ground to declare martial law nationwide as the whole situation is under control.”
The CPP noted in its statement that “it is no secret” that it is “calling on the people to unite and struggle to overthrow the Duterte regime.”
“Statements issued by the CPP to this effect are publicly available in its website (philippinerevolution.info) and in social media,” the CPP said. “But as the CPP has also repeatedly pointed out, it will be the confluence of various democratic forces that will ultimately bring down Duterte.”
Lieutenant General Carlito G. Galvez Jr., AFP chief-of-staff, also denied at a Senate hearing last Tuesday that opposition Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV is involved in the supposed ouster plot and even confirmed that the embattled lawmaker had applied for amnesty in 2011.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon yesterday challenged the administration “to file charges against Liberal Party members” whom Mr. Roque insisted “are colluding with the communists to oust the President, an allegation that was later disproved by no less than Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Carlito Galvez.”
“I challenge Malacañang, particularly presidential spokesman Harry Roque to file charges against LP members who are allegedly in cahoots with the communists to overthrow the government,” Mr. Drilon said in a statement.
“In fact, I believe it is the responsibility of Malacañang to file the charges now because its credibility is at stake for issuing baseless allegations that are later denied by the military,” he added.
Mr. Roque was asked for comment but has yet to reply as of press time. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Iloilo City council appoints 2 reps for power franchise congressional hearings

THE ILOILO City Council has unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city government to intervene in the ongoing deliberations in Congress on the franchise for the city’s electricity distributor. The resolution names Mayor Jose S. Espinosa III and Councilor Joshua C. Alim as representatives. Panay Electric Company, Inc. (PECO), the current licensee, has a pending renewal application for its 25-year franchise that will expire Jan. 2019. A new player, More Minerals Corp. (MMC), already has its application approved at the committee level. Councilor R. Leoni N. Gerochi, chair of the committee on transportation, energy and public utilities and sponsor of the resolution, noted that stakeholders were not consulted on the MMC application. “The purpose of the resolution is to protect the consumers,” he said. “This is our biggest chance to institute reforms. If we are successful in this, in the next 25 years, it will be easier for the next generation to fight for it,” he added. — Louine Hope U. Conserva

Hospitals in Isabela, Baguio, La Union, and Bayombong up for expansion

FOUR GOVERNMENT-owned hospitals in the northern Luzon area have been lined up for expansion after President Rodrigo R. Duterte recently signed laws corresponding to the improvement programs.
The medical facilities are: Southern Isabela General Hospital in Santiago City, Isabela; La Union Medical Center (LUMC) in Agoo, La Union; Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC); and Veterans Regional Hospital in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.
Malacañang released the certified copies of the newly signed laws to reporters on Wednesday, Oct. 3.
Mr. Duterte signed Republic Act (RA) 11082 to upgrade the Southern Isabela General Hospital into a tertiary general hospital, and it will be renamed Southern Isabela Medical Center (SIMC).
The authorized bed capacity of the SIMC will also be “increased from 50 to 350 beds.”
SIMC will be placed “under the direct technical and administrative supervision of the Department of Health (DoH),” and its funding will be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
RA 11083 is intended to upgrade the services and facilities of LUMC “by increasing its bed capacity to 300 (from 100) and establishing a trauma center therein, and authorizing the increase of its personnel.”
RA 11084, meanwhile, will increase the bed capacity of BGHMC to 800 beds from 500.
Under RA 11081, the Veterans Regional Hospital will be renamed Region II Trauma and Medical Center, with its bed capacity to be increased to 500 from 200, and “upgrading its services and professional health care, authorizing the increase of its medical personnel.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

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