Macias says no major changes in Capitol

CEBU, Philippines — Negros Oriental acting Governor Edward Mark Macias, in a meeting with department heads on Monday, promised that he will not do major changes in the present set-up of the provincial government.

Macias however clarified that this matter is not open-ended, and employees will have to cooperate and work as required of them for the remaining 85 days of his stint as Capitol “caretaker.”

During the meeting, Macias told them in the dialect, “antusa lang usa ko ninyo og gamay (please bear with me a bit). I only have 85 days left before Governor Roel Degamo is back in January next year.”

Macias said he will try to solve problems as he sees them, and that the first thing he wanted to be briefed is the status of the medicine procurement program at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH).

“After the government set the price ceiling for medicines, no supplier dared to participate in the bidding with the DOH-imposed prices, and so a failure of bidding was declared,” he told the department heads.

As a result, Macias and some members of the Provincial Board visited the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City to learn from latter’s experience about the implementation of the consignment program for medicines.

However, it was learned that this program was stopped due to problems with COA regulations. But the good news is that the Negros Oriental government can have a direct purchase with VSMMC being a certified wholesaler of medicines.

Macias also visited the Office of the Governor and met with the staff and personnel of Degamo. He told them that, as acting governor, he is prepared to have the “worse 90 days of his life,” although he “is hoping and praying that it will not happen to him.”

He also appealed for their cooperation in managing the Capitol, and urged them to forget political ramblings and work instead for the betterment of the constituents. (FREEMAN)