The Provincial Board of Antique wants the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) to secure the opinion of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) before proceeding with the renovation and upgrading of the Pres. Diosdado Macapagal District Hospital (PDMDH) in Barangay Abaca, Tobias Fornier town.
“Since the NHCP is the authorized agency to allow the undertaking of any modification and/or demolition of structures dating at least 50 years old or those considered to be important cultural properties, the Provincial Board will only wait for its decision,” Board member Egidio Elio, chairperson of the Committee on History and Cultural Heritage, said in an interview on Wednesday.
The Board took cognizance of the complaint of Consolacion Paz Caseńas, a member of the family that owns the lot where the hospital stands, saying that the hospital that was built 56 years ago is an important cultural property.
Republic Act 11961 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 defines important cultural property as those with exceptional cultural, artistic, and historical significance to the Philippines declared by law or pertinent cultural agencies.
The Board calendared the complaint during their regular session on Monday and invited representatives of the IPHO, the Provincial Engineering Office (PEO), and the PDMDH to shed light on the matter.
PDMDH chief of hospital Jocelyn Polido said NHCP chair, Dr. Emmanuel Franco Calairo, in a letter dated Sept. 6, sent her a checklist of proposed developments affecting historic sites and structures needing approval from his office.
However, the IPHO supervising the PDMDH has yet to reply to the letter.
Provincial Health Officer 1, Dr. Leoncio Abiera Jr., said the IPHO did not know what to do with the checklist, so they failed to respond immediately.
PEO chief Inocencio Dajao Jr., in an interview on Wednesday, said the old and dilapidated hospital could pose a danger to patients.
The renovation started in 2019 but was stopped during the pandemic and resumed this year in July.
“The hospital, from a 15-bed capacity, could already accommodate 25 patients once the project is completed,” he said. (PNA)
