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HomeLocal NewsAyco, Gamboa face off tomorrow on hospital issue

Ayco, Gamboa face off tomorrow on hospital issue

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BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Two public officials here will face off tomorrow in a panel discussion to be hosted by DNX News in its Public Forum show that will attempt to look into the points raised over the construction and operation of a local government-owned hospital.

Anthony Jose Loth “Anjo” Ayco, Village 15 chief, and lone opposition Councilor Wilson “Jun” Gamboa Jr. have both accepted the invitation of DNX to take part in a panel discussion that will focus on the issue “Construction and operation of a local government-owned hospital.”

The show goes live 2pm tomorrow, 12 February 2021, and will be hosted by seasoned journalist and DNX Executive Editor Julius D Mariveles.

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The two younger officials here appear to have contrasting views on the issue based on separate interviews by DNX.

Ayco’s main contention is on the practicality of operating the hospital, which he says is too costly for a local government unit even if critics of the administration argue that the city government has an annual budget of billions of pesos over the past several years.

“It is easier said than done,” he said as he lamented that “it is difficult to make some people understand” the complexities involved in this issue.

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Ayco, an ally of the ruling party Grupo Progreso, was once a supporter of former mayor and solon Monico Puentevella.

He recalled that Puentevella even made the building of a city hospital a campaign promise when he ran for mayor but this was not realized when he won, “possibly because he realized” some things.

Gamboa, on the other hand, took a rights-based approach in pushing for the construction of the hospital.

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“It is a Constitutionally-guaranteed right that the State shall provide for the healthcare needs of its people,” he told DNX.

He said some city residents need to go to hospitals as far as Cadiz City, about an hour north from here, to avail of medical care.

Tune in to Public Forum tomorrow, 12 February at 2pm, on the DNX News Facebook page.

Join the conversation by asking questions to the invited guests through the DNX News Facebook page

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Julius D. Mariveles
Julius D. Mariveles
An amateur cook who has a mean version of humba, the author has recently tried to make mole negra, the Mexican sauce he learned by watching shows of master chef Rick Bayless. A journalist since 19, he has worked in the newsrooms of radio, local papers, and Manila-based news organizations. A stroke survivor, he now serves as executive editor of DNX.
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