DPWH, DOH urged to start preparing plans for quarantine facilities in every region

Cagayan De Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez on Wednesday urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Health (DOH) to prepare the plans for the construction of quarantine facilities in every region.

In a statement, Rodriguez expressed support to the measure filed by Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte which seeks to establish quarantine facilities in every region in the country, saying the bill is "necessary at this time because of the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic."

Rodriguez lamented that isolation and treatment facilities are mostly found in Metro Manila.

“Since there is now an increase in COVID-19 cases in the provinces, we need these regional quarantine facilities to serve our people in the countryside," he said.

"In Region 10, which includes Cagayan de Oro City, there is a marked increase of Covid-19 patients. Region 10 has no dedicated quarantine building with complete equipment and the required number of trained medical personnel for these kinds of pandemic,” he added.

Rodriguez said the DPWH should now be ready with the plans for the building of these facilities, while the DOH must start training personnel to run these establishments.

Under Villafuerte's bill, the proposed quarantine facilities in every region should be fully equipped to meet the needs of individuals that are required to be quarantined, such as adequate food, clothing, means of communication, and competent medical care. 

The bill mandates the DOH to identify the location where the quarantine facility will be constructed in close coordination with the DPWH and the concerned local government unit.

The quarantine center should be easily accessible to a DOH hospital and be strategically located to ensure the safety of the residents in the area.

The DPWH, in coordination with the LGU, is mandated to oversee the construction of the quarantine facility and formulate the building specifications based on standards, issuances and guidelines.

The DOH is likewise tasked to supervise the operation management of the quarantine facilities, as well as to craft the implementing rules and the regulations of the proposed law. 

On Tuesday, Senator Sonny Angara said more mega quarantine facilities should be put up in Cebu City. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Cebu City is more likely the epicenter of COVID-19 in the country. He said more isolation facilities will be put up in Cebu City.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines breached the 37,000 mark on Tuesday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,080 more infections—858 “fresh” or newly validated and 222 reported lated—bringing the total to 37,514.

Total recoveries also rose to 10,233 after 277 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness, while the death toll climbed to 1,266 with 11 new fatalities. —Erwin Colcol/KG, GMA News