Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) Chief Dr. Joseph Dean Nicolo’s sudden reassignment to Zamboanga has unleashed a storm of speculation, exposing rifts between politicians, contractors, and hospital stakeholders over alleged kickbacks tied to multi-million peso projects.
Baronda issues statement
Iloilo City Rep. Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda broke her silence, releasing a statement despite not being directly named as the “lady solon” blamed for Nicolo’s transfer.
“I have nothing to do with his reassignment. That is an internal matter of the DOH and WVMC. The trolls spreading this issue are circulating lies to damage my name,” Baronda insisted. She also suggested that critics should direct questions at contractors instead of politicians.
Baronda’s denial has done little to quiet speculation, given her high-profile role in lobbying for WVMC projects such as the ₱350-million Cancer Center and ₱449-million Heart and Lung Center—expansions critics now describe as “cash cows.”
Solons and contractors push back
Other Iloilo representatives quickly distanced themselves. Second District Rep. Kathryn Joyce Gorriceta stressed she had no role in hospital politics, First District Rep. Janette Garin denied any hand though hinted at knowing more, and Fifth District Rep. Binky April Tupas dismissed the rumors outright.
Contractors, too, fired back. F. Gurrea Construction, Inc. categorically rejected allegations of kickback deals, branding them “false and damaging” to its reputation.
City Council reacts
The Iloilo City Council, for its part, passed a resolution recognizing Nicolo’s leadership at WVMC. Yet the measure revealed divisions: Councilor Sheen Marie Mabilog abstained, warning the resolution could exert “undue influence” on pending Ombudsman and CSC cases involving Nicolo.
Bigger than Nicolo
For observers, the political tug-of-war masks a deeper problem: whether WVMC’s major projects are being driven by patient care—or by profit.
“Powerful interests are clearly at play,” one political analyst said. “Nicolo’s reassignment may not just be hospital politics—it may be a symptom of systemic corruption in public works.”IMT
