KORONADAL CITY – Construction work commenced over the weekend for a PHP10 million temporary treatment and monitoring facility (TTMF) for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients here funded by the national government.
City Mayor Eliordo Ogena said Monday the 32-bed isolation facility, situated at the back of the city hall building in Barangay Zone 3, is the second approved for funding and implementation in the city this year.
He said its construction was earlier endorsed by the Regional Task Force against Covid-19, which is spearheaded by the Office of Civil Defense-Region 12 (Soccsksargen).
“It is targeted for completion in 30 to 40 days,” the mayor said in a statement.
Implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways, the project was funded under Republic Act 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).
It was among the 18 TTMFs that were approved for implementation this year in the region’s four provinces and four cities.
The first facility here, situated in Barangay Concepcion, is now in the final development phase and expected to be operational in the next few weeks.
Ogena said the TTMF projects, which were implemented through the efforts of its special project unit, will further increase the area’s capacity for the isolation and treatment of Covid-19 patients.
The city has two school-based centralized isolation facilities and one in a private home for the elderly that have a combined capacity of 262 beds. Another 123-bed facility is being put up by the local government.
The mayor said it is pushing for the construction of three more TTMFs next year as it anticipates an increase of around PHP400 million in Internal Revenue Allotment share from the current PHP800 million.
“To normalize our situation, we have always adopted the balancing act by addressing the problem of Covid-19 and ensuring at the same time that the economy will work and will not collapse,” Ogena said.
On Sunday, the city recorded 46 additional Covid-19 cases and 33 recoveries, bringing its active infections to 456.
The confirmed cases in the city since March last year have already reached a total of 2,836, with 51 related deaths and 2,329 recoveries.
Source: Philippines News Agency
