BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez filed 11 proposed bills as the 19th Congress opened on June 30.
Reelected for his second term, Benitez filed 10 bills at the House of Representatives, including the On-Site, In-City or Near-City Housing program for Informal Settler Families (ISF), Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers, framework bills on digital revolution, blue economy, sustainable cities, establishing hubs in every local government unit, Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System, marine hatchery in Sitio Mambucog, Brgy. Zone XVI, Talisay City, and Negros Occidental High School for Sports in EB Magalona, as well as promoting urban agriculture, all on June 30.
He also filed a bill on July 5 establishing the Victorias City General Hospital.
In the 2021 cities and municipalities competitive index, Benitez said that Victorias, a fourth class component city, ranked 110th out of 113th component cities in health infrastructure, with the nearest hospital, Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH), that serves 3.2 million people, 18.4 kilometers away.
With a 300-bed capacity, TLJPH may not be able to accommodate patients from Victorias City, which clearly indicates that the concerned LGU needs all the help to improve its local health system, he added.
Benitez and other Negros Island solons are also slated to jointly file a bill creating the Negros Island Region, which will include Siquijor Island.*
