Majority blocks new attempts to launch Mother-Child Hospital
7 OPPOSITION DADS REJECT URGENCY NOTE
DAGUPAN City may never see the Department of Health’s P150 million Maternal and Child Hospital established in the city for as long as the 7 opposition councilors hold sway at the Dagupan Sangguniang Panlungsod.
The opposition councilors (Reford Erfe-Mejia, Librada Reyna-Macalanda, Alipio Serafin Fernandez, Celia Chua-Lim, Alvin Coquia, Irene Lim-Acosta, and Marilou Fernandez) rejected twice the two motions of the minority group to include the Draft Resolution No. O-6357 for the approval of the DOH-funded hospital, initially authorizing Mayor Belen Fernandez to sign a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Health Regional Director Paula Sydiongco for the construction of the facility to be included for second reading in the September 10 and 17 sessions.
The opposition councilors in the majority thumbed down the motion of Minority Leader Councilor Michael Fernandez anew to suspend the rules in last September 10 session of the Sanggunian to allow the inclusion of the pending Draft Resolution No. O-6357.
The minority Councilor Fernandez cited another letter from Mayor Belen Fernandez certifying the urgency of passing the measure on September 10, after her meeting with officials of DOH and technical staff of the Department of Budget and Management.
Mayor Fernandez’s letter conveyed a warning from DBM that the P150 million allotted in the General Appropriations Act of 2021 for the MCCH may be forfeited if not availed of soon.
When Councilor Michael Fernandez moved for the suspension of the rules of the Sanggunian, the motion was defeated by a vote of 6-3.
Councilors Redford Erfe-Mejia, Alvin Coquia, Librada Macalanda, Marilou Fernandez, Celia Lim and Irene Lim-Acosta rejected the motion outright. This time Erfe-Mejia said another committee hearing must be held to determine the final date for the implementation of the P150 million for the MCH.
At the end of the September 10 session, Minority Councilor Fernandez attempted to introduce the motion seeking the inclusion of Draft Resolution No. 0-6357 in September 17 session, but it again resulted in another 6-3 voting rejection. (Leonardo Micua)
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