BCDA

Completed in just a week, three We Heal As One Centers in Metro Manila are now ready to accommodate Covid-positive patients to reduce the community spread and help decongest hospitals.

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Three major facilities in Metro Manila will operate as COVID-19 quarantine centers starting this week, with patients having access to 24/7 healthcare and free meals, among others.

The Ninoy Aquino Stadium in the Rizal Memorial Complex, the Philippine International Convention Center, and the World Trade Center will all have air-conditioned cubicles with plug-in outlets, free food for patients and the medical staff, free internet connection, and round-the-clock medical assistance.

The Ninoy Aquino Stadium at the Rizal Memorial Complex has been converted into an ‘instant hospital’ and will be ready to accept Covid-positive patients with mild symptoms and those who are asymptomatic on Wednesday, April 8. The 112-bed stadium which will be manned by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Corps has air-conditioned cubicles, plug-in outlets, free internet connection and round-the-clock monitoring by the medical staff. Free food will also be provided to both patients and frontliners in all quarantine facilities being readied by the national government.

The Philippine government is scaling up the conversion of major facilities in Metro Manila and in other parts of the country into instant hospitals to effectively control the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and ensure the safety of the communities.

The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex-Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila City, the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Forum Halls and the World Trade Center, both in Pasay City are being transformed into quarantine sites. 

Overseas Filipino workers who were stranded in the Clark International Airport the past weeks, expressed thanks to the government now that they are comfortably staying for free in Clark, Pampanga.

“Noong sinabi nila na dalhin kami dito, hindi ko rin alam ang lugar na ito, pero nang makita ko, wala akong masabi…Kumportable kasi safe kami dito. Pinapasalamatan ko na sa panahon na ganito, sinalo kami ng gobyerno,” says seaman Jimmy Catubig.

A college student stranded in Clark due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions offered prayers for those afflicted by the virus, by playing the song “People Need the Lord” with his violin. 

“Dedicated iyon sa lahat ng tao; siyempre sa panahon ngayon, people need the Lord kasi maraming namamatay, maraming sorrowful dahil nawalan ng mahal sa buhay at may sakit,” says 19-year-old Orlando Ladia, Jr.

More than 200 passengers, most of them recently arrived overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), have been stranded for days in Clark International Airport due to the community quarantines imposed in their respective provincial destinations. 

To ensure the welfare and safety of these passengers amid the COVID-19 threat, BCDA, CDC, CIAC and LIPAD have coordinated efforts to provide them with the necessary assistance, as the entirety of Luzon observes the Enhanced Community Quarantine. 

Clark is a safe haven for returning OFWs.