City rushing to put up 2 health centers

BAGUIO CITY – (March 30, 2021) – The city is now exerting extra effort to work out the implementation of the construction of two health centers in strategic areas to further improve the delivery of health care services to the people in the barangays and to help in enhancing the local government’s anti-Corona Virus Disease (COVID) 2019 response efforts.

City Administrator Bonifacio dela Pen֮a stated that the proposed health center in Bakakeng Norte/Sur that will be erected within a property that was donated to the city by a subdivision should commence construction before June so that the P20 million fund that was earmarked to the project by the public works department will not revert to the general fund as the same was sourced out from the Bayanihan 2 law.

On the other hand, he claimed that the proposed health center in Aurora Hill which will be constructed within a portion of the Bayan Park will also have to commence because part of the funds for the project amounting to P10 million from the health department was sourced from the agency by virtue of the same law.

For the Bakakeng health center, the city administrator disclosed that the plans are already with the city’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) ready to be bidded out as soon as the situation of the donated property shall have been ascertained by the city’s technical personnel.

In the case of the Aura Hill health center, the structure will be constructed not within the property of the education department but in an a 300-meter area near the senior citizens center to avoid possible conflicts in the future that might delay the construction of the much-awaited facility in the Aurora Hill district.

According to him, the 2 health centers will be provided with adequate parking areas for their respective clients to prevent the wayward parking of vehicles that could cause traffic congestions within the surrounding areas.

Dela Pen֮a asserted the need to immediately implement the programmed put up of the district health centers so that the provided funds will not revert to the general fund for the people of the Aurora Hill and Bakakeng districts to benefit from the enhanced delivery of health care services that will be offered by the improved facilities.

While the various departments will be working on how to immediately prosecute the aforesaid projects, the local legislative body will be working on the amendment of an ordinance that prohibits the put up of structures within the bayan Park area to accommodate the proposed put up of the Aurora Hill district health center.

Earlier, health officials of the Aurora Hill district health center requested the local government for a much wider space to be able to accommodate the increasing number of daily clients that allowed the city to consider the put up of the same within the 300-meter portion of the Bayan Park area.

Subsequently, the Bakakeng district health center will serve as a replacement of the Atab district health center which is about to be demolished as the same is located within the road-right-of-way of Balacbac and Mount Sto. Tomas road to pave the way for the implementation of future road widening projects in the said areas.   Dexter A. See