The new chief of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City yesterday promised to act immediately on the delayed salaries of the CLMMRH employees and to be fair and transparent in running the facility.

Dr. Jaime Bernadas, 48, who was Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) assistant regional director based in Cagayan de Oro, said salaries will be paid today.

The hospital has 457 employees.

Bernadas took over the management of the hospital Monday from Dr. Domingo Vega, who was ordered transferred to the Department of Health regional office in Cebu while an investigation is underway to determine if charges should be filed against him for alleged procurement anomalies at the CLMMRH.

Dr. Benito Bionat, CLMMRH chief of clinics, who was also ordered transferred to Cebu, has instead gone on leave and is consulting with his lawyer on action to be taken.

He has been replaced by Dr. Epifania Simbul of the National Children's Hospital in Quezon City, while Carlito Pilirin of the Davao Regional Hospital in Tagum has taken over as hospital administrator from Bryan Baylon, who has been suspended for 90 days.

"We will try to do our best with the experience we have and the cooperation of the people in the hospital," Bernadas said of the way the new management team will run the hospital.

The team is now analyzing the problems at the hospital so they can be addressed, he said.

"Rest assured that the way we will be running the hospital will be transparent and open to all," he said.

Bernadas graduated from the Northwestern University in Cebu City and trained in general surgery, entered into private practice, and later became vice mayor of Kalilangan in Bukidnon.

Under the administration of Gov. Jose Zubiri, Bernadas helped streamline the health system of Bukidnon and ran a hospital, before joining the DOH. He is married to Dr. Elvie Concemino of Iloilo with whom he has three children.

She is currently the municipal health officer of Kalilangan in Bukidnon.*CPG

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