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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Sotto backs 13 bills to expand provincial healthcare access

Sotto backs 13 bills to expand provincial healthcare access

Published Jul 28, 2026 02:53 pm

At A Glance

  • Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III backed 13 Senate bills seeking to establish new provincial hospitals and upgrade or renationalize existing government hospitals, and asked to be made a co-sponsor of the measures.
  • The proposed measures include six bills creating new hospitals in Zambales, Davao de Oro, Zamboanga Sibugay, Capiz, and Bukidnon, and seven bills upgrading or renationalizing hospitals in Agusan del Norte, Bukidnon, Capiz, and Romblon under the Department of Health.
  • Sotto said the bills could help address the gap between hospital bed capacity and patient demand, while Senator Risa Hontiveros welcomed his support for the Committee on Health and Demography's measures.
Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III threw his support behind 13 measures pending in the Senate that aim to expand access to healthcare through the establishment of new provincial hospitals and the upgrading or renationalization of existing ones.
Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III expresses his full support for a series of local hospital bills that aim to establish, expand, and upgrade public healthcare infrastructure across the country. (Senate PRIB photo)
Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III expresses his full support for a series of local hospital bills that aim to establish, expand, and upgrade public healthcare infrastructure across the country. (Senate PRIB photo)
During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Sotto asked to be included as a co-sponsor of the bills.
"What I would want to do this morning is to endorse all these local bills, and if I may, be made a co-sponsor," Sotto said during the committee hearing.
The measures are currently being tackled by the Committee on Health and Demography, together with other Senate committees. Six of the bills propose the construction of new hospitals in the provinces of Zambales, Davao de Oro, Zamboanga Sibugay, Capiz, and Bukidnon.
The remaining seven measures seek to upgrade and renationalize hospitals in Agusan del Norte, Bukidnon, Capiz, and Romblon by placing them under the supervision, control, and management of the Department of Health.
Sotto also raised concerns about whether existing hospital bed capacity is sufficient to meet the growing demand for healthcare services, expressing hope that the proposed legislation would help address the shortage.
Committee on Health and Demography Chairperson Senator Risa Hontiveros welcomed Sotto's decision to support the measures.
"Thank you very much, SP Pro Temp. Wala nang mas masaya pa kung hindi co-sponsor kayo sa mga bills ng Committee on Health and Demography ((Nothing would make me happier than having you co-sponsor the bills of the Committee on Health and Demography)," Hontiveros said.
Sotto said he supports the bills because he believes they would strengthen the country's healthcare system and improve access to medical services for Filipinos.

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