Basey, Samar - "My ultimate goal for this province is to improve our provincial hospitals and all the district hospitals in this is the massive and alarming graft and corruption practices that are now happening in the provincial administration involving millions of pesos of the people's money."
Thus said Zumarraga Mayor Neliph Figueroa during a "snap meeting" and gathering of the community leaders and supporters held at the community leaders and supporters held at the residence of come backing mayoralty candidate of Basey, Didi Estorninos, Sunday morning.
"Look at our provincial hospitals in Catbalogan, there were no medicines. Not enough nurses that will look into emergencies or sick people admitted into that hospital," adding that majority of the working nurses have resigned already because they haven't been receiving their exact salaries for the last six months.
One living proof to that "are the wife of my nephew and her co-worker. They approached me informing that they have just resigned. Like many others, some of us were deprived of us salaries," the mayor added.
"Also, residents that are denied of medicines in the Samar Provincial Hospital (SPH) were being at the extension office of your congressman, we have reserve some aids there for such a reason," Mayor Figueroa stressed.
At this point, she vowed that once she was elected into office, she will conduct a total face lift to SPH and all the district hospitals in Basey, Marabut, Gandara, Tarangman and in Calbayog City, all in Samar.
These hospitals should be renovated, equip with necessary machines, beds and chairs and, most importantly, medicines, "so that our nurses and doctors will be inspired to serve for the less privileged."
The lady mayor said she was convinced by the two solons of the province to run for governor this coming May 14 election because they know "I can handle in changing the image and the kind of the governance we are experiencing now."
The fighting graft and corruption in Samar is also one reason why I decided to accept the offer to run as governor. "Imagine, the yearly Internal Revenue Allotment of Samar is about 800 million a year, but not a single development project has been done to our province, nanhihingain man ito nga aton mga kwarta? Pagmata na kita mga Smaron. We are being robbed by this person who is not even an uray nga Samarnon."
"I challenge you all the leaders to be more responsive to the more responsive to the calls for good governance. You should be more participative in the social issues especially in choosing government officials to ensure that the basic needs of the people be effectively addressed," mayor Figueroa disclosed.
Mayor Figueroa, who is the incumbent president of the Samar Mayor's League and concurrently the regional president of the Mayor's League of the Philippines for Eastern Visayas, vice-president of the Mayor's League in the whole Visayas and the chairman, in one of the committees of the Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc. of the House of the Representatives, is expected file her certificate of candidacy anytime soon.
