• THERESA MAE DULMAN
A total of 7,978 Bacolod Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP) cards are in the process of distribution to barangays, resolving the previous backlog, according to BacCHP Focal Person Atty. Jose Marty Go.
According to Mayor Greg Gasataya, they demanded an explanation from former BacCHP Focal Person Engr. Mae Cuaycong regarding the thousands of unreleased health cards.
In her response, Cuaycong said that they halted the distribution of cards during the election ban period and added that there are undistributed cards but ‘it is not accurate to say 8000 plus’. Another factor is the duplication and printing errors.
Meanwhile, Gasataya clarified that even if the recipients were not able to receive a card, they can still avail of the program as long as they are registered.
Gasataya added that he’s giving emphasis to the issue, as the city is paying around P120 on the printing of every card.
“They were not efficient in doing this, the reason why there’s a lot of complaints about the unreleased BacCHP cards,” the mayor said.
For this year, a total budget of P137,655,000 million was allocated for the 144,691 BacCHP beneficiaries.
The program is a flagship initiative of the city government, aimed at providing healthcare support to Bacolodnons.*
