More and more groups and individuals within and outside the CLMMRH expressed support for Bryan Baylon, the embattled chief administrative officer who exposed the irregularities in the hospital.
BY KARL G. OMBION
SPECIAL REPORT
Bulatlat
Vol. VII, No. 20, June 24-30, 2007
More and more groups and individuals within and outside the CLMMRH expressed support for Bryan Baylon, the embattled chief administrative officer who exposed the irregularities in the hospital.
Some hospital nurses and doctors who requested not to be named told Bulatlat that more of them sympathize and support Baylon’s anti-corruption drive, and vow to come out in due time.
“Reports of scams and corruption in the hospital continue in broad daylight because no one dares to challenge the culprits; some filed complaints but failed to sustain them due to a number of circumstances,” some said.
“We hope that this time the drive to stop these irregularities would succeed; we are thankful for Baylon’s risk-taking crusade; while we could not come out yet in the open we support him and his campaign,” others added.
Some clerics and church groups in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bacolod have also expressed support for Baylon, not only because he is an ex-seminarian whose integrity and social commitment they know very well, but also because they believe that the public hospital which serves thousands of Bacolodnons and Negrenses must be truly transparent and effective in its health services.
They plan to consult their bishop first before they would draw concrete support actions for Baylon.
A group of law students and some members of the faculty in University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, where Baylon finished his law degree, also disclosed their moves to organize a solidarity campaign for him.
They said they are holding “solidarity meetings” with law students and teachers in other schools. They also said they will pool whatever resources are available to help Baylon’s legal and para-legal needs.
Bishop’s call for citizen’s movement
Cognizant of the grave implications of the expose’ on alleged scams and corruption in the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH), Bacolod Diocese Bishop Vicente Navarra urged the citizenry to take active part in the speedy and peaceful resolution of the problems in the hospital.
During his talk with CLMMRH Chief Administrative Officer Bryan Baylon, June 21, in the presence of Visayan Daily Headlines, Bishop Navarra lauded Baylon’s cause saying “your work is one of true action of a Christian conscience whose sole aim is to correct highly obvious undesirable hospital practices and save the lives of many.”
He said Baylon’s expose’ is believable because he had direct personal experiences with the actual conditions in the hospital.
Bishop Navarra however added that Baylon’s crusade would end in vain if the citizens would not come out and support him. “Baylon’s crusade must be a people’s movement because the stake there is greater than his own, and that is, public interest or that of the thousands who avail or should avail of the hospital services,” he said.
He stressed that the role of the citizens in any social reform is very critical because without them the individuals who started the cause would have difficulty fighting the forces of evil.
He also lamented that there are so many local and national social issues and concerns that remain unsolved because of the apparent apathy of the people. “No matter how courageous and determined we are as individuals or institutions in any social advocacy, if the people don’t move we would likely fail,” he said.
Biship Navarra urged the hospital workers, health professionals, academe, lawyers, media and other concerned citizens to organize a movement that will push for the much-needed urgent reforms in the regional hospital, and help the ‘beleaguered’ administrative chief. (Bulatlat.com)
PART 1: Procurement Scam in Negros Regional Hospital
PART 2: Just Part of the Can of Worms
