MANILA, Philippines — Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Monday urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Health (DOH) to prepare their plans for the proposed building of quarantine facilities in every region.
Rodriguez made the call in support of House Bill No. 7005 or the proposed Mandatory Quarantine Facilities Act of 2020 filed by Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte.
“I support the bill principally authored by Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte which is necessary at this time because of the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic in our country,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
In supporting the measure, Rodriguez noted how isolation and treatment facilities “are concentrated in Metro Manila.”
“Since there is now an increase in COVID-19 cases in the provinces, we need these regional quarantine facilities to serve our people in the countryside,” Rodriguez said.
“In Region 10, which includes Cagayan de Oro City, there is a marked increase of COVID-19 patients. Region 10 has no dedicated quarantine building with complete equipment and the required number of trained medical personnel for these kinds of the pandemic,” the lawmaker added.
The bill proposes quarantine facilities that are fully equipped to meet the needs of quarantined individuals, which includes, but are not limited to adequate food, clothing, means of communication, and competent medical care.
The measure mandates the DPWH, in coordination with the local government units, to construct the facilities while the health department is tasked to supervise the operation management of the isolation centers. facilities.
Further, DOH is also tasked to issue the implementing rules and regulations for the measure.
As of July 1, there are 38,511 COVID-19 cases in the country, with the recoveries at 10,438 and death toll at 1,270.
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