In its continuous fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the City of Tacurong in Sultan Kudarat has proven its commitment to look after its constituents through the construction of its own isolation facility.
The fully operational 28-room, 5.24-million peso building was the latest addition of structures to the city government’s site in Brgy. Katungal, Tacurong City. The facility is close to the city’s nursery and it has become a landmark in itself, being the “very first Bayanihan grant funded project in Region XII.”
The construction work began in August 2020 with the City Engineer’s Office doing the supervision and administration of the whole project. The building was named Crown –V Center which was a translation of the Latin “corona” and the “V” being the obvious ‘virus’, just to dissociate the facility to the dreaded infection.
Each of the 28 rooms has its own toilet and bath and air conditioner to guarantee an enjoyable, if not pleasant or tolerable, 14- day stay in the isolation center. When the construction was completed, it was placed under the City Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Office who took charge of the whole operation of the facility.
Since the start of the operations of the isolation building, towards the last few days of 2020, the facility has catered to about 40 persons who were required to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine. By the first week of January 2021, three (3) persons were housed in the facility as they await their ‘graduation’ from quarantine.
The facility has been accredited by the DOH as a Temporary Treatment Monitoring and Isolation Facility.
The Inauguration Rites
The simple blessing and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on November 26 and was attended by City Mayor Angelo O. Montilla, DILG XII RD Josephine Cabrido-Leysa, CESO III, DOH XII Regional Director Aristides Concepcion-Tan, MD, OCD XII Regional Director Minda C. Morante, members of the City and barangay Council, other frontline workers and stakeholders.
In her message during the brief ceremony in a separate venue, RD Josephine Cabrido-Leysa, CESO III, expressed appreciation for the LGUs’ initiative and quick response to meet the need of the community.
As a matter of practice during the height of the Covid-19 infections and the subsequent quarantine measures being imposed, local government units without isolation facilities had to rely on partnership, bound by a memorandum of agreement (MOA), with local hotels or lodging facilities to house the Covid-19 positive individuals. The local government concerned then shoulders the board and lodging expenses of each patient.
In the case of the City of Tacurong, it was able to forge MOAs with 9 (nine) establishments located within its jurisdiction which are being utilized as isolation quarters.
As part of her response to the quick action of the LGU Tacurong under the leadership of Mayor Montilla, RD Leysa immediately pledged to work out the inclusion of additional 30 contact tracers for the city to reinforce their existing pool of tracers.
Director Leysa also expressed appreciation for the city government’s move to utilize the grant it has received to put up the isolation facility.
In April 2020, the Bayanihan Grant to cities and municipalities was downloaded by the Department of Budget and Management to Tacurong City, amounting to P48, 330, 974.00
Meanwhile, OCD XII Regional Director Minda C. Morante congratulated the LGU of Tacurong for their efforts, as she announced that her agency will provide for P1 million worth of food for the isolated persons until the end of the year.
DOH RD Tan, who also graced the occasion, has also expressed his support for the other endeavors of the City of Tacurong and vowed to continue its partnership with the LGU. RD Tan promised an additional P10 million for the construction of other needed facilities.
He also recommended that more facilities be put up in places with recorded spikes in transmission of Covid-19 cases and in anticipation of possible increase during and right after the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
In his message, Mayor Montilla thanked all the “Big Three” visitors, including the city and barangay officials who were around to witness the inauguration rites. Montilla said that “the presence (of the visitors) gave us the strength, inspiration.” He added that the project has been meticulously constructed to “show quality” and that the “government funds did not go to waste.”
He pointed out that despite the negative side of the pandemic, “Covid-19 has allowed me to see cooperation, help and respect” among those who were affected, especially among the Tacurongnons.
He posed a challenge to all attendees not to ‘bend to the pandemic’ but instead ‘remain standing and fighting so that we will win against Covid-19.”
