The Ilocos Norte provincial government looks forward to establishing more Rural Health Units in the province this year through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF).
Earlier, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. had ordered the direct release of funds to local government units (LGUs), streamlining processes and accelerating project implementation.
“We are very happy that the LGSF is now directly downloaded to the LGUs. We are no longer hard up to make follow-ups,” Ilocos Norte Gov. Cecilia Araneta-Marcos said during a press briefing at the Office of the Governor’s conference hall on Monday.
According to the governor, there is a need to improve rural health facilities in underserved areas to reduce patient congestion in provincial hospitals.
This supports the continued improvement of the province’s public healthcare system through the upgrading of health facilities, the purchase of equipment, and the hiring of additional health professionals.
For this year’s LGSF, the provincial government has been allocated PHP68 million for its rice program to ensure food sufficiency and another PHP68 million for its infrastructure program.
The 2026 LGSF is higher than last year’s PHP114,188,800, with the provincial government allocating PHP54 million for ICT (information, communication and technology) and infrastructure development, particularly to scale up the Universal Health Program through digital onboarding.
At least PHP15 million each was also given to the City of Laoag and the municipalities of Bangui, Dumalneg and Piddig for the construction of their multipurpose buildings.
By Leilanie Adriano