An evacuation center at Brgy. Lantic, Carmona, Cavite built by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the local government unit of Carmona is now being readied as temporary facilities for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.
Secretary Mark Villar said that the transformation of Carmona Evacuation Center into a makeshift hospital with 151 bed cubicles including provisions for laundry area, nursing station, and X-ray room is in accordance with the recommendations of the Department of Health.
“The target for completion and turnover is by September 4, 2020.”
“The target for completion and turnover is by September 4, 2020,” Villar said.
The repurposing of the Carmona Evacuation Center into a mega quarantine facility was started immediately after a memorandum of agreement was signed on August 14 by DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain and Carmona Mayor Roy Loyola. It happened during the Inter Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF caravan spearheaded by DPWH as member agency for COVID-19 Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic or COVID-19 CODE Team.
The COVID-19 CODE Team is focused on the development of strategies, plans and measures for the second phase of the national action plan against COVID-19.
The construction of the mega quarantine facility in the 3,000 square meters multi-purpose building will facilitate the isolation, treatment and care of COVID patients from Carmona and other parts of the industrial zone of Calabarzon.
“The LGU requested to DPWH the conversion of the evacuation center.”
According to Sadain, head of the DPWH Task Force to Facilitate Augmentation of National and Local Health Facilities formed by the public works chief, no less than the LGU requested to DPWH the conversion of the evacuation center.
“It is best that more health systems are ready and capable to handle COVID situations,” the public works official said.
The building in Carmona was initially built by DPWH as a typical 45-bed evacuation facility. But it was enhanced into a bigger multi-purpose building with a basketball court by the LGU.
Similar to other mega quarantine facilities completed by DPWH, the DPWH Task Force with Technical Bureau Directors Ernesto Gregorio Jr, Aristarco Doroy, Eric Ayapana and Edgardo Garces are closely monitoring the project which is under the implementation supervision of Region 4A Assistant Director Jovel Mendoza and Cavite 3rd District Engineer Donnie Cuna.