CLARK FREEPORT – “Our first order of business is to overhaul the health care system and the Ospital Ning Angeles (ONA) which have been neglected.”
Thus, said incoming mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. during the “News@Hues” media forum organized by the Pampanga Press Club in cooperation with Park Inn Hotel By Radisson Clark on Tuesday.
“Nakita po natin ang estado ng hospital kung gaano po kasama. Yan po ang unang reklamao ng ating mga kababayan sa lungsod ng Angeles (We saw for ourselves the state of our hospital and how bad it is. This is the foremost complaint of our citizenry in the City of Angeles),” Lazatin said.
The ONA will undergo a major overhaul, said Lazatin. “We need to reassess our emergency room and see if what they are doing is right. We need to reassess everything,” he stressed.
But first and foremost is we have to put in medicines because there are no medicines there right now, he added.
“We will also look at the personnel that are still needed,” he said.
The incoming mayor said the rural health units (RHUs) in Angles City will all be activated because “most of the six RHUs are not operational and they don’t have medicines.”
Lazatin said there is a building that they use for private patients at the ONA. “We might be removing this or divide it so that the other half will become a PhilHealth ward,” he pointed out.
The private patients will be in the PhilHealth wards which means if you are a PhilHealth member you can use that since it is paying to the city, he explained.
Transition team
Lazatin said his transition team is ready and just waiting for the invitation of outgoing Mayor Ed Pamintuan.
The Lazatin transition team is led by incoming city administrator Atty. Willie Rivera, Kiko Sicangco on finance as well as Frankie Villanueva, and Atty. Kersey Lazatin.
Malabanias Barangay Captain Rey Gueco will handle the transport sector while the office of the Barangay Affairs will be led by Dan Nacu.
Dr. Vic Lugue and Dr. Froilan Canlas will be at the medical front and will help in the overhaul of the health care system.
Drug-free Angeles City
In combatting illegal drugs, “we need to talk to all the barangay captains the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) should be fixed because that is where we are going to start,” Lazatin said.
“We will also talk to the SK Federation so that the youth will no longer be involved in illegal drugs,” he added.
Lazatin said his dream “is for our city to be the first to be declared drug free in Central Luzon that is why we will also work relentlessly on this goal in cleaning up drugs in our barangays.”
Stop construction
Lazatin said the city council will file a resolution to stop all the construction at the new city hall and at the sports complex and “let us see what the city really needs at this time.”
He also said no city hall employee will be unceremoniously booted out without due process.
On solving the traffic woes
“We need to go back to basics. We need to study the traffic situation of the whole city before we can make our plans,” he said.
Lazatin said it will be now easy for him to request for national budget for flyovers since his brother, Rep. Jon Lazatin has been reelected.
“Like if we need fly overs, this is costly and the LGU cannot afford it but we can request from our congressman so that it can be funded by congress,” he said.
