Duterte signs 16 bills mostly about hospital capacity-building

President Rodrigo Duterte signed 16 bills at a ceremonial signing in Malacañang Thursday night.

Thirteen of these are related to increasing the capacity of several hospitals, including Naguilian District Hospital and Rosario District Hospital in La Union, Sinait District Hospital in Ilocos Sur, Bacolod City General Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, Mayor Hilarion Ramiro Medical Center in Misamis Occidental, Eastern Visayas Medical Center in Quezon City, and even the lying-in clinic in Rizal, Palawan.

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Duterte also signed the conversion of The Schistosomiasis Control and Research Hospital in Palo, Leyte to become Governor Benjamin T. Romualdez General Hospital and Schistosomiasis Center; and Basilan State College to become Basilan State University.

The new laws will also establish Davao Occidental General Hospital, Senate President Neptali A. Gonzales General Hospital in Mandaluyong, and Conrado F. Estrella Regional Medical and Trauma Center in Pangasinan.

Duterte also signed the renewal of the Baycomms Broadcasting Corp franchise for 25 years and the reapportioning of Bataan Province to 3 legislative districts.

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The President said many of his signed laws are important in today’s time of pandemics.

Duterte signs 16 bills mostly about hospital capacity-building

“Indeed, the establishment of new public [hospitals] would make quality medical services more accessible to our people, especially those from far-flung areas. Increasing the bed capacity of existing public hospitals would likewise greatly augment our inventory of [much]-needed hospital beds that we badly need as we deal with a pandemic,” Duterte said.

Duterte, on the other hand, instructed all government agencies to unite to implement these new laws and use a whole-of-nation approach in addressing the pandemic challenges.

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He also instructed Congress on bills that would have also been passed soon.

The President assured that governments would continue to make “people-centered policies” for the country’s development.

Meanwhile, Duterte instructed experts to develop a plan and mechanism to combat the more contagious coronavirus disease () Delta variant first seen in India.

According to Duterte, the government can no longer afford another coronavirus disease (-19) variant.

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