• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez disclosed on Sunday that they will try to secure funds for the newly approved Victorias City General Hospital in 2026.
On November 8, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law RA 12070, creating the Victorias City General Hospital, which was authored by then Negros Occidental Third District Representative Jose Francisco Benitez.
The hospital has a proposed budget of P500 million, but Mayor Benitez said its budget has not been included in the 2025 General Appropriations. “We will take one step at a time,” the mayor said, adding that he has to work with the Departments of Budget and Health for the construction of a hospital, which will be constructed in a location that they have already identified.
Mayor Benitez said he will also ask the help of the provincial government on the running the hospital, which will be a Level 1 government medical facility. “We also want a synergy with the Capitol,” he stressed.
In a statement, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Jose Francisco Benitez, who authored the bill, said “all Victoriasanons will soon have their own hospital and no longer need to travel far.”
As provided in RA 12070, the city government “shall manage the Victorias City General Hospital and prepare, in consultation with the Department of Health (DOH), a hospital development plan that is aligned with the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan.” While Victorias City shall provide funds to establish the hospital, the Secretary of Health shall include in the DOH’s subsidy program the support for capital outlay requirements, it added.
The elder Benitez said establishing the Victorias City General Hospital is “crucial in providing the people of Victorias and nearby residents of the third district wider access to affordable and quality healthcare.”*
