The House of Representatives will shoulder the medical expenses of all individuals injured as a result of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Midnanao.

No less than House Speaker Isabela 6th district Rep. Faustino "Bojie" Dy III made this announcement Thursday, June 11 following a personal inspection at General Santos City and Sarangani Province to assess the impact of the June 8 earthquake.

According to Dy, the zero hosptial balance pledge will be enjoyed by patients regardless if they sought treatment at government or private hospitals.

The Speaker from Luzon also assured affected families that additional assistance would be mobilized to help communities recover from the disaster.

“Sa ngalan po ng House of Representatives, amin pong taos-pusong ipinaaabot ang amin pong pakikiramay. Nandito kami para matiyak na katulad ng sabi po namin, sa lahat ng ospital na kakailanganin na related po sa earthquake ay titiyakin natin na zero balance yung ating mga kababayan na nasa loob ng mga ospital,” said Dy.

(On behalf of the House of Representatives, we sincerely extend our condolences. We are here to ensure, as we promised, that in all hospitals needed in relation to the earthquake, our fellow citizens admitted will have zero balance.)

“At dapat madagdagan pa ng mga pondo para meron tayong kasiguraduhan at matiyak na malalampasan natin itong paghamon na tumama dito po satin, sa mga kababayan natin dito sa rehiyon na ‘to," he said.

(And funds should be increased so we can have assurance and ensure that we overcome this challenge that struck us, our fellow citizens in this region.)

Dy said members of the House delegation who flew with him to Mindanao conducted an on-site assessment of damaged infrastructure and public facilities to determine reconstruction requirements and ensure that funding needs would be reflected in the proposed 2027 national budget.

“Importante rin ma-assess mabuti yung mga building katulad ng ating mga airport na nakita kanina at para sa gayon matiyak natin na wala tayong magiging problema,” said the House leader.

(It is also important to properly assess buildings such as our airports that we saw earlier, so we can ensure that we will not encounter problems.)

“Kaya ganoon din ang ating support, pagtutulungan namin para sa gayon ma-rehab natin nang mabilis na panahon itong mga ospital, sapagkat ito yung unang-unang mga pangaingailangan natin dito sa inyong lugar,” he added.

(That is why our support will also be collective, so that we can rehabilitate these hospitals quickly, since they are the foremost needs here in your area.)

“May mga reports na dumating sa mga damages sa inyo pong area. At siyempre tamang-tama po yan, ang ating mga kinatawan ng inyong rehiyon ay pagtutulungan namin para matiyak na nandun siya sa loob ng ating proposed budget for next year para masiguro natin magawa yung mga dapat na magawa na mga kalsada, tulay, at ano pang mga facilities para pakinabangan ang ating mga kababayan,” he further said.

(Reports of damages in your area have come in. And of course, that is timely—your region’s representatives will work with us to ensure these are included in our proposed budget for next year, so we can accomplish what needs to be done for roads, bridges, and other facilities for the benefit of our fellow citizens.)

Dy said the findings from the inspection would help Congress identify priority funding requirements for reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts across affected communities.

The House of Representatives will begin discussing the proposed 2027 national budget after President Marcos delivers his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) in late July.