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- He said that he didn’t know that the hospital would name the facility after him and requested for them to change it.
- Yap claimed he personally funded the construction and completion of the laboratory.
House Committee on Appropriations head Eric Yap finally answered the allegations against him that was stemmed from a Benguet General Hospital facility which was initially named “Eric Yap Building”.
The issue exists because naming a facility after a living person is a violation of guidelines when it comes to naming buildings, institutions, and public structures.
Jover Laurio of Pinoy Ako Blog questioned the naming of the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the hospital after Yap which he clarified that he had no idea about.
Me: Uy may pabuilding! Pera mo ginastos at nakapangalan sa yo?
DDS: Ninoy Aquino international airport. Pera niya ginastos?
Me: Bakit, patay na ba si Eric Yap?
🙄🙄🙄 pic.twitter.com/9VeROrx5m8
— Jover Laurio (@PinoyAkoBlog) September 13, 2020
“Ang sagot ko, opo, pera ko yun, dinonate ko at hindi ko alam na ganun ang ginawa ng taga-Benguet Gen out of gratitude,” the lawmaker said.
He also said that after he saw his name, he immediately requested for it to be removed.
“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.”
Yap then requested for the public to stop making every issue political and stop criticizing officials over “fake news” amid a global pandemic.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Netizens then called Yap out and said that his defense was a “petty attack” to individuals stating “valid criticism.”
https://twitter.com/lakwatsarah/status/1305337321458298880
For a congressman to resort to this kind of discourse… 🤡 pic.twitter.com/wZSp2YTtvc
— Barnaby Lo 吳宗鴻 (@barnabychuck) September 14, 2020
Yap announced last June that he will personally finance the laboratory and contributed more than Php5 million from his personal funds to buy tools to be used.
He also funded Php100 million for the construction of the Benguet school buildings.
