PH Arena ‘We Heal As One’ center posts 70% completion

FILE: Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan (Photo by patrickroque01/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA – With works at the Philippine Arena “We Heal As One” center now on the advanced stage of completion at 70 percent, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has worked on putting electricity in the three mega tents for the upcoming operation of the quarantine facilities.

Undersecretary Emil Sadain, head of DPWH Task Force on Augmentation of Local and National Health Facilities formed by Secretary Mark Villar, said the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has committed to work beginning April 24, 2020 for the installation of poles, primary power lines, transformers, and other accessories to energize the premises of mega tents at Ciudad De Victoria estate of Iglesia Ni Cristo in Bocaue, Bulacan.

On behalf of Villar, Sadain has earlier sought the assistance of Meralco via a formal letter to its chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, in providing fixed supplies of electricity for the mega tents which current power for lighting and air-conditioning are supplied by the generator set.

DPWH has also requested Pangilinan free wi-fi access from telecommunications and digital services provider PLDT and Smart Communications, the water supply of Maynilad Water, and free pass at NLEX toll road leading to Ciudad De Victoria exit.

Villar earlier instructed the DPWH Task Force together with the Regional Office 3 (Central Luzon) led by director Roseller Tolentino to intensify the monitoring of works for the repurposing of mega tents into health facilities for isolation and treatment of about 300 Covid-19 patients.

Sadain has anticipated that all civil works at Philippine Arena will be finished in less than 10 days since the work was started on April 20.

“The target of DPWH Task Force and Region 3 is to be able to complete all cubicles 3.05 meter by 3.05 meter in size, nurse stations, sanitizing chambers, and test booths of the center by April 27 and turn-over to the Department of Health and National Task Force-Covid 19 to immediately operate the mega-quarantine facilities”, Sadain said.

Helping accelerate the progress of works are augmentation workers from the District Engineering Offices of Bulacan 1 and 2, and Pampanga 1. (DPWH-Region 3 PR)