March 22, 2022 | The Committee on Health and Committee on Finance, Budget and Management convened today to conduct a Joint Committee Meeting for the calendar year of 2022, held at the BTA Parliament Executive Lounge and via Zoom Teleconference.
Present are Chairman MP Dr. Saffrullah M. Dipatuan, Chairman MP Archt. Eduard Uy. Guerra, MP Atty. Maisara C. Dandamun-Latiph and other members of the committees.
The meeting highlights the discussion of the Deliberation of the Hospital – consisting of six proposed bills and one proposed resolution seeking to standardize, upgrade, and establish hospitals in the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and Sulu. Among the bills and resolution included in the agenda were: BTA Bill No. 74, BTA Bill No. 79, BTA Bill No. 89, BTA Bill No. 90, BTA Bill No. 92, and BTA Bill No. 51, and Proposed Resolution No. 443, they also discussed other matters as well.
MP Latiph stressed “Wala na po akong nakikitang balakid dito sa mga batas na ito, ang dapat po dito ay dapat ipasa na ngayong Marso. Tama po yung sinabi nila sating Saligang Batas, sa Bangsamoro Organic Law, ang Bangsamoro Parliament ang siyang mageestablish ng polisiya, ang siyang maglelegislate at mageelect ng chief minister na mageexecute ng executive authority on its behalf – ibig sabihin po, ang kapangyarihan ay nasa parliament at eexecute lang yun ng ating Government of the Day na ibinigay ng parliament, so ang ating kapangyarihan po ay plenary, malaki po siya, hindi po ito dapat maoverturn ng cabinet. So, ito po ang aking motion – to approve all these bills and once and for all pondohan na po naten lahat po ng naapprove po namin.”
MP Latiph proposed a motion that the bills that are filed in accordance with the numbers that the committee were proposing would be approved by the body.
MP Latiph manifested that during their budget deliberation on the Committee on Health budget, there is a 3800-bed gap that is needed to be filled by the Bangsamoro government. She stated that what the committee is doing right now is filling that gap. She added the Committee on Health and Committee on Finance, Budget and Management is doing the right thing in filling those gaps, because 3800 is the lack of bed capacity in the entire BARMM. MP Latiph thanked the committee for doing the latter.
In addition to the measures approved were upgrading the; Unayan Municipal Hospital and Wao District Hospital in Lanao del Sur; Buluan District Hospital and Datu Blah District Hospital in Maguindanao; and Sulu Provincial Hospital as well as the establishment of a level two district hospital in the municipality of Maimbung, Sulu.
Furthermore, a resolution directing the Ministry of Health to implement Muslim Mindanao Act No. 245 or an Act upgrading the Tamparan District Hospital into the Provincial Hospital of Lanao del Sur was also adopted.
