ANGELES CITY – Minority Floor Leader Jay Sangil has called for the amendment of the ordinance that paved way for the P1.2 billion supplemental budget intended for the construction of a new P580 million city hall, a P360 million sports complex and a P60 million multi-level parking.
In his privilege speech at the Angeles City Council on Wednesday, Sangil said that “after consulting with our constituents and reassessing the challenges and opportunities that the city now faces – I now strongly believe that there are compelling reasons to amend the supplemental budget ordinance we have approved in July last year.”
The supplemental budget approved last year amounted to P1,292,488,714.23.
Sangil has deplored the current state of the Ospital ning Angeles (ONA) where indigent Angeles residents are reportedly being told to seek medical services elsewhere because “there are no available rooms and medicines.” Most of the patients seek medical help at the Jose B. Lingad Hospital in the City of San Fernando, according to Sangil.
“First and foremost is that ONA must be saved for it to continue saving lives. What use would a new five-storey city hall be if we have to keep on depending on the Jose B. Lingad Hospital to provide the hosplitalization of our own constituents? Surely, we could address the need to expand and improve the existing structure of the city hall by simply renovating it, and installing facilities and equipment for the convenience of the public, particularly the elderly and those with disabilities. Surely, we could do this without spending P580 million of borrowed money,” said Sangil.
Sangil has proposed the expansion of the ONA instead of levelling the old Angeles City Hall and constructing a new one.
Secondly, Sangil said “the city does not need a P360 million sports complex when a new and bigger sports complex is being constructed inside the Clark Freeport Zone. “All we have to do is tie up with the Clark Development Corporation and Bases Conversion and Development Authority for the use of the Clark Sports Complex.
“We simply no longer need a sports complex and equipment at the cost of P360 million. The ASEAN games will be held and completed next year. Surely, we could avail of the sports complex in Clark to train our athletes for regional, national, and international competition. All it takes is for us to firm up a Memorandum of Agreement to avail of the use of Clark’s sports complex which is less than 30-minute drive away from our city.”
Among others, Sangil said the approved supplemental budget for the city hall, multi-level parking and sports complex should be appropriated to the following:
• Expansion and improvement of ONA – P400,000,000.
• Purchase of medicines, and dental,
medical, and laboratory supplies – 80,000,000.
• Purchase of medical equipment – 40,000,000.
• Hiring of doctors and allied medical
professionals for ONA and Health
Centers (contingent on personnel audit) – 40,000,000.
• Construction of additional classrooms
and facilities at CCA – P200,000,000.
• Hiring of additional administrative and
academic personnel at CCA – 50,000,000.
• Acquisition of educational equipment
at CCA – 30,000,000.
• Construction of more classrooms in
overpopulated public elementary and
secondary schools – 60,000,000.
• Repair and construction of CRs in
public elementary and secondary
schools – 20,000,000.