Legazpi diocese opens seminaries to front-liners

SANCTUARY Medical front-liners attending to coronavirus patients in Albay province will find a sanctuary at Mater Salutis College Seminary in Daraga town, where they can rest after their work shifts in local hospitals. —MARK ALVIC ESPLANA

LIGAO CITY, Albay, Philippines —The Diocese of Legazpi has offered two seminaries in Albay to the provincial government for its use in the fight against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Bishop Joel Baylon said church personnel had prepared Mater Salutis College Seminary at Barangay Sipi in Daraga town and St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Tabaco City for use by the provincial interagency task force.

According to Baylon, Mater Salutis can accommodate as many as 100 people in individual rooms on several floors, while St. Gregory the Great is a dormitory-type building.

Rev. Fr. Ramoncito Segubiense, Mater Salutis rector, said that since seminarians were on break, the buildings would likely be used to accommodate medical front-liners and volunteer personnel who could not go home after their duty.

‘Small way’

“We are ready to accommodate such request to help ease the difficulty of the front-liners in their accommodation. This is our small way of extending our help this time of pandemic,” Segubiense said.

These seminaries have beds, mattresses, cabinets and desks, and bathrooms for sharing, as well as recreational areas.

Dr. Rogelio Rivera, chief of Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital (BRTTH), welcomed the diocese’s offer. BRTTH is one of the hospitals designated by the Department of Health in Bicol for COVID-19 cases.

‘Good gesture’

“The good gesture of Bishop Baylon is very much appreciated … We really need to help our front-liners to limit their exposure to their families,” Rivera said.

He also thanked local businessmen for their support, particularly those who offered their hotels to front-liners.

Rev. Fr. Rex Paul Arjona, director of the Social Action Center in Legazpi, said the 47 parishes in the diocese had already distributed food to more than 5,000 households and donated personal protective equipment to BRTTH, and food and hygiene kits to law enforcers manning checkpoints. —MICHAEL JAUCIAN