By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – The provincial government of Negros Occidental will hire 35 medical personnel to further beef up the fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
This after the Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved the P117,588,552.41 general fund supplemental budget in their regular session this week.
Included in the budget is P7 million for the contract hiring of 35 medical personnel.
In his letter to the SP, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said 30 nurses, two anesthesiologists, and three nursing attendants will be hired and assigned to the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City.
Of the P117.5 million supplemental budget, P50,215,704.44 has been allocated for grants and donations, P2 million each for information and communication technology equipment and office equipment and P1 million for furniture and fixtures for the Governor’s Office, P32,974,000 for rehabilitation of Panaad Park and Stadium rubberized track oval, D-Section and warm up area, and construction of perimeter fence.
The Provincial Engineer’s Office got a P5.88-million budget for interior fit-out of the Philippine National Bank building’s fourth floor, installation of water supply at a multi-purpose building, as well as repair and rehabilitation of water supply at the Lorenzo Zayco District Hospital in Kabankalan City.
Some P3,488,000 was earmarked for the upgrading of Management Information System, as well as acquisition of office and IT equipment for the existing Management Information System Network at PNB and NOMPAC (Negros Occidental Multi-Purpose Center).
The SP also approved the special purpose appropriation of P12 million for Peace and Order Fund, P300,000 for the Provincial Planning and Development Office, P230,000 for Strategic Performance Management System Retooling for Supervisors/ Focal Persons training workshop and P500,000 for the Accounting Office.
Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer told reporters that the SP held their session behind closed-door at his office following the disinfection of the SP offices which remained closed until now.
He said some of the technical assistants of the board members were on self-quarantine, after one of them was considered a Person Under Monitoring (PUM) for COVID-19.
