House Committee on Appropriations chair Eric Yap said Monday he was unaware that a facility at Benguet General Hospital was named after him, violating the country’s guidelines in naming institutions, public structures, and buildings.
Blogger Jover Laurio of Pinoy Ako Blog on a Facebook post questioned the naming of the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Benguet General Hospital after Yap.
“Ang sagot ko, opo, pera ko yun, dinonate ko at hindi ko alam na ganun ang ginawa ng taga-Benguet Gen out of gratitude,” Yap said at the beginning of the budget briefing of the Office of the President.
“Nung nalaman ko yun, nung nakita ko yun, kinausap ko agad yung head ng Benguet Gen na please, tanggalin ang pangalan ko at ilagay nila ang pangalang Benguet,” Eric Yap added.
Yap serves as a representative of the ACT-CIS party-list and the legislative caretaker of the province of Benguet after Nestor Fongwan, the province’s former representative, died in December 2019.
“Ito yung pagkakataon na tayong mga Pilipino ay magkaisa-isa. Kung hindi tayo magkaisa-isa, paano natin lalabanan ang COVID-19? Para matalo natin ang COVID-19, dapat tayo one Filipino. Iisa ang dugo nating lahat, Pilipino,” Yap said.
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Benguet General Hospital facility named after Eric Yap
“Kaya pakiusap ko, tigilan natin ang sirain, magtulungan tayo, tapusin natin ang laban sa COVID at sigurado ko, kapag tayo ay sama-sama, kaya natin ang COVID-19,” he added.
Laurio responded and said she questioned the naming of the hospital facility after Eric Yap because the guidelines issued by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines states that “no local government units, institutions, places or buildings shall be named or renamed after a living person.”
“Kahit pa sabihin mo na may ginastos ka na sarili mong pera sa laboratory na yan since nasa gobyerno ka, at buhay ka pa, bawal pa rin,” Laurio said.
“Though we don’t have solid evidence that indeed you used your hard-earned money to splurge on that facility, as I said mali pa rin,” she added.