CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and City Government of Malolos inaugurated on Friday the P43 million COVID-19 isolation and quarantine facilities.
The covered basketball court in the Malolos Sports and Convention Center was turned into a quarantine facility while several units of container vans were turned into isolation facilties for coronavirus patients with a total amount of P43 million from part of Bayanihan to Heal as One Act or Republic Act 11469.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was led by Mayor Gilbert Gatchalian and DPWH 1st District Engineering Office District Engineer Henry Alcantara.
“Ito ay para sa mamamayan ng Lungsod ng Malolos na kung sakali mang makadama ng naturang knakamamatay na virus ay makapagbigay kaginhawaan sa kanila at matanto nila na hindi sila nag-iisa sa laban,” Mayor Gatchalian said.
According to Gatchalian, it will served lasting response to intensify the city government’s fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) wherein the said facilities will remain as long as the said disease is there.
Gatchalian added that through Dir. Maria Theresa Escolano of the Office of Civil Defense Region 3, 150 swab testing kit will be provided every week which will be taken to the Philippine Arena to process.
District Engineer Henry Alcantara, he said tht these facilities are from the initiative of DPWH in providing assistance by DPWH Sec. Mark Villar in the City of Malolos.
“Ito ay makatutulong ng malaki sa mamamayan ng Malolos at sa pagtalima na rin sa kautusan ni Pangulong Rodrigo R. Duterte upang ma-flatten ang bilang ng mga nahahawa o nagkakasakit ng COVID-19 dito sa nasabing lungsod,” DE Alcantara said.
Engr. Alcantara said the conversion of the Malolos Sports and Convention Center to a 48-bed quarantine facility was worth P15 million.
Aside from placing partitions on the basketball court to accommodate new beds and other necessities in accordance with Department of Health (DOH) standards, all comfort rooms are also subject to extensive rehabilitation and renovation.
The DPWH also replaced toilet bowls, retiling, sucked the septictanks and even made new ones.
There were alao installation of new airconditioning systems and upgrading of existing aircondition units.
Alcantara said that the two isolation facilities built outside the Malolos Sports and Convention Center were composed of several container vans.
It costs P28 million and It has a capacity of 32 beds where each partition or room is equipped with air condition and a single comfort room.
Engr. Alcantara also added that this is the first quarantine facilities built by the DPWH in Bulacan through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed with the local government.
By virtue of City Decision No. 172-2020 passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Malolos, authorized Mayor Gatchalian to enter into a MOA on behalf of the Malolos City Government with the DPWH.
The inauguration was graced by Engr. Denise Maria M. Ayag, Asst. Regional Director of DPWH Region 3, Dir. Maria Theresa Esolano, Office of the Civil Defense, Region 3, Vice Mayor Noel Pineda, members of Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Malolos headed by Enrico Capule, Francisco Castor, Nino Carlo Bautista, Dennis San Diego, Edgado Domingo, Miguel Carlos Sotto and Dionisio Mendoza.