LAGAWE, Ifugao – The province stands to lose at least P100 million for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the controversial Ifugao General Hospital (IGH) once the programed funds will not be implemented this year.
Gov. Pedro Mayam-o is seeking the assistance of the health and budget departments on how to fastrack the completion of the retrofitting of the hospital structure so that the amount of P99.8 million earmarked in this year’s annual budget will be used for the rehabilitation project so as not to revert to the general fund by the end of this year pursuant to the government’s cash-based policy wherein all funds that were not used during the fiscal year will automatically revert to the general fund.
Based on the updates provided by the health department during the joint meeting of the Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) and Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC-CAR) held at the Provincial Schools Division of the Department of Education here Monday, the procurement process is on-going for retrofitting works for the hospital in preparation for the bidding process of the project by the first week of July and its eventual award to the winning contractor by the need of next month.
Regional health officials claimed that the initial bidding for the retrofitting project of the hospital failed, thus, the scheduled second bidding for the project early next month to ensure that the available funds will be utilized.
For this year, IGH was provided a P99.8 million budget for the rehabilitation of its existing structures but the rehabilitation project cannot push through unless the retrofitting of the initial structure shall have been completed to correct whatever defects in the implementation of the construction of the building that was issued funding since 2012.
Under the agency’s revised program of activities for the hospital, once the contractor will be able to complete 50 percent of the retrofitting works, the health department will be able to bid out the rehabilitation works that was funded with at least P100 million to prevent its possible reversion to the general fund by the end of the year. After the project has been awarded, the agency can now request to the budget department the allowed extension of the utilization of the fund for at least three months which is allowed under existing laws, rules and regulations.
Earlier, the initial implementation of the construction of the IGH building was tainted with alleged irregularities because of the declaration of the structure is substandard that prompted the agency to embark on a retrofitting project that could correct whatever defects that were discovered but the bidding of the project since there were no contractors that submitted their bids for the project.
IGH is located in Poblacion North, here, and provides health services to the people of Ifugao but the controversies that have been uncovered have prevented the hospital into being in full operation to date amidst the multi-million funds that were previously earmarked for the put up of the health facility.
Mayam-o expressed satisfaction over the join action of the RDC-CAR and RPOC-CAR in requesting the concerned government agencies to fastrack the completion of the projects to make the hospital fully operation for the benefit of ensuring the delivery of quality basic health services to the Ifugaos. By HENT
