To upgrade its facilities and improve its services to the public, an administration councilor said the city owned JR Borja General Hospital (JRBGH) can be opened to public-private partnership (PPP).

 

City Councilor George Goking raised the possibility during the program ‘Ang Inyong Konseho Karon’ hosted by the City Information Office when asked about the PPP arrangement pursued by the national government for the expansion of the Laguindingan airport.

 

‘We can (even resort to PPP) to fund the new City Hall building complex,’ he said in Visayan.

 

Recounting his experience as a ‘runner’ designated by former agriculture secretary Luis ‘Cito’ Lorenzo Jr.—who then served as Cabinet Officer for Regional Development (CORD) in northern Mindanao— for the Laguindingan airport, Goking explained that it took some time to fasttrack the project in the early 2000s.

 

But he said funding for the airport project then was diverted to other airports in the country, delaying its implementation. ‘Now I’m glad that the national government is pursuing the Laguindingan airport expansion since it will (bring in more investors and tourists to) Cagayan de Oro City,’ Goking said in Visayan.

 

While City Hall allocated a substantial budget to upgrade JRBGH’s facilities, Goking said the use of PPP for the Laguindingan airport expansion is proof that private sector investment and involvement plays a big role in improving essential services to the public.

 

Bidding for the airport expansion is said to commence in May this year. ‘Many of the (flagship projects) of the Marcos administration are funded through PPP,’ said Goking, who authored the ordinance dubbed ‘Public-Private-Partnership For The People’s Initiative For Local Government’ (LGU P4) that was approved by the 19th City Council in 2018. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)