(Eagle News) – The Philippine government on Saturday, April 4, thanked the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) Executive Minister for allowing the use of the whole Ciudad de Victoria complex in Bulacan to house coronavirus patients as well as the frontliners, including the health care workers who will be treating them.
In a virtual presser, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles thanked INC Executive Minister Brother Eduardo Manalo after the Church Of Christ allowed not just the use of the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena which is known as the largest mixed use indoor theater in the world, but the facilities and grounds of the entire Ciudad de Victoria estate.
“Yesterday, we received more positive news when we learned that our brothers from the Iglesia Ni Cristo have agreed to let the government use the whole Ciudad de Victoria estate, not just the Philippine Arena itself but the entire estate to isolate and quarantine COVID-19 cases,” Nograles said.
“So kasama po rito ang Philippine Arena, ang Philippine Sports Stadium at ang Garden Suites,” he noted.
“There will be facilities not just for patients but for our frontliners.”
-Rooms and facilities being readied for COVID-19 patients and frontliners-
Nograles said that that more than a thousand rooms for COVID-19 patients, as well as hundreds of rooms for the doctors and nurses are also being readied in the vast grounds of the Ciudad de Victoria complex.
“Once everything is readied, the whole complex will have an estimated 1,065 rooms for patients, while frontliners will be able to share 476 suites good for two to four health workers each,” he said.
“Maraming maraming salamat po ka Eduardo Manalo,” said Nograles who also serves as the spokesperson for the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Earlier, the government said it is also readying the forums halls of the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), the World Trade Center and the Rizal Memorial Coliseum to house COVID-19 cases with mild symptoms.
The government is also receiving offers from other private facilities, while noting with sadness that some had rejected government’s requests to house COVID-19 cases.
“Mga kababayan, palagi naming sinasabi na we are all in this together,” Nograles said.
“We should not let fear bring out the worst in us,” he appealed after receiving reports of discrimination, harassment and attacks being experienced by health workers who have been treating COVID-19 patients, and even by suspected COVID-19 cases.
“Hindi po ito panahon para talikuran ang kapwa. Ito ang panahon ng pagmalalasakit, pagtutulungan at pagkakaisa,” Nograles said.
“Lahat tayo kasama dito. Together, we can beat COVID-19, and altogether we heal as one,” he added.
(Eagle News Service)
