By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said that he will facilitate P100 million in additional funds for the completion of the Bacolod City Museum here.
Zubiri was in Bacolod City on Saturday to inspect the ongoing construction of various projects in the province, including the Bacolod City General Hospital (BCGH) and the Bacolod City Museum, two key infrastructure projects that were funded through his initiative.
His first stop was at the museum, which he inspected with Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez and Bacolod Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya.
The local Department of Public Works and Highways reported that the museum is 72 percent accomplished using the P320-million allocation facilitated by the Senate President.
Zubiri, who considers himself a Negrense with family roots in southern Negros, said he will give P100 million to fully complete the project which he described as his legacy project for the city.
“Development is not only about looking forward, it is also about celebrating our past, and building on the rich history and culture that we have here in Bacolod,” he said in a press conference here.
Zubiri also said that he will make sure that the project will not turn into a white elephant and will become one of the attractions for the city where exhibits can be held and events as well hosted in its state-of-the-art amphitheater.
“We wanted to have a museum where locals and tourists alike can learn about and appreciate the story of Bacolod and our people. And it is not just going to be about the past. This museum-auditorium will also be a place for contemporary and future artists, who continue to enrich our sense of pride and identity here in Bacolod.”
The Bacolod City Museum is expected to be completed by 2024, and Zubiri is hopeful that it will be ready in time for next year’s MassKara Festival.
From the museum, Zubiri together with Benitez and Gasataya proceeded to the Bacolod City General Hospital.
Gasataya is the main author for the establishment of the BCGH in the Lower House.
Republic Act No. 11554, establishing the BCGH, was signed in 2021 and was spearheaded in the Senate by Zubiri.
“The people of Bacolod deserve to have accessible and affordable healthcare. Bacolod is the most populous city in Western Visayas, and for it to not have its own dedicated tertiary government hospital severely limits the healthcare options of its over half a million residents.”
The local government led the groundbreaking ceremony for the BCGH in September 2022, and the project is expected to be completed by 2025.
Zubiri has directed a total of Php400,000,000 from the General Appropriations Act to the construction of the hospital.
“Coming out of the pandemic, we want to build up our regional healthcare services. We don’t want a repeat of the overcrowded hospitals, the overworked nurses and doctors, and the patients being turned away from hospital to hospital. So I am very much looking forward to an improved healthcare sector here in Western Visayas, once the BCGH is up and running,” he said.
Gasataya said that the Department of Health has allocated P250 million more to the hospital.
Zubiri further assured Benitez and Gasataya to expect more projects from him in the next five years of his term.
Benitez and Gasataya thanked Zubiri for his support for the city of Bacolod.
NIR IN THE BAG
Zubiri, who is one of the main authors in the Senate for the recreation of the Negros Island Region (NIR), reiterated that the bill is considered to be “in the bag”.
“I don’t think there is any opposition to the bill in the Senate,” Zubiri said.
He added that the current Negros Oriental Governor Manuel “Chaco” Sagabarria, who he said he met last week, is for the NIR recreation.
Sagabarria assumed as governor following the deaths of then-governor Roel Degamo and then-vice-governor Carlo Jorge Joan “Guido” Reyes.
Reyes, who succumbed to an illness early this year, replaced Degamo who was murdered in March 2023.
Zubiri added that he is just waiting for the Senate Committee of Local Government chaired by Senator JV Ejercito to come out with the committee report.
Meanwhile, Zubiri also reiterated his support for the Bacolod redistricting move “If that is what the people of Bacolod want.”
