Army prepares mega drug rehab center in Nueva Ecija as quarantine site
Published Mar 24, 2020 12:00 am
By Martin Sadongdong
The Philippine Army (PA) is preparing a mega drug rehabilitation center located inside a military base in Palayan, Nueva Ecija as a possible quarantine site for individuals being monitored for COVID-19.
(JANSEN ROMERO / MANIL BULLETIN)
Army commanding general Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay said the Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (Mega DATRC) at Fort Magsaysay is ready to serve as a quarantine facility for individuals suspected to have been infected with COVID-19.
"So far dito sa Luzon, ang largest containment is in Fort Magsaysay, that's a drug rehab center na may 10,000 capacity. Isa ito sa naka-prepare in case this gets worse," Gapay said.
(So far here in Luzon, the largest containment is in Fort Magsaysay, that's a drug center with a capacity of 10,000. It is among those being prepared in case this gets worse.)
The mega drug rehabilitation center was constructed on a 75,000-hectare land at Fort Magsaysay, the largest military reservation in the Philippines, in November 2016.
The facility was divided into four phases, with each phase able to accommodate 2,500 persons.
The funds for the construction of the facility came from a Chinese billionaire and philanthropist who offered to help President Duterte deal with the illegal drug problem at the time.
The construction of the facility, however, drew flak as critics said it was not fully utilized, since only about a hundred drug dependents have reportedly been admitted into the center -- far from the expected number of admissions which were initially placed at thousands.
But with the threat of coronavirus, the mega drug rehabilitation center has found a new purpose as a quarantine site to hopefully decongest the hospitals which have already exhausted their resources and exceeded their capacity in dealing with COVID-19.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III warned that the number of COVID-19-positive patients in the country might continue to rise in the coming days as more test kits were made available with the arrival of 100,000 kits from China over the weekend.
Other countries such as South Korea and Singapore, among others, have also donated test kits and made pledges to the Philippines.
As of Tuesday morning, the Philippines had 501 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The death toll remained at 33 while the recoveries were 19.
Gapay gave assurance of the readiness of the mega drug rehabilitation facility, saying the rooms and beds have already been set up while medical teams from the military are placed on standby.
He said their medical teams can help health workers monitor a large number of affected individuals at the Nueva Ecija facility should their services be needed.
He added that Army camps in other regions where there are alarming number of coronavirus cases may be used as quarantine sites.
"In case of a major outbreak wherein we need massive containment facilities, nakahanda ang mga kampo natin, hindi lang sa Metro Manila but nationwide (our camps are prepared not only in Metro Manila but nationwide)," Gapay said.
(JANSEN ROMERO / MANIL BULLETIN)
Army commanding general Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay said the Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (Mega DATRC) at Fort Magsaysay is ready to serve as a quarantine facility for individuals suspected to have been infected with COVID-19.
"So far dito sa Luzon, ang largest containment is in Fort Magsaysay, that's a drug rehab center na may 10,000 capacity. Isa ito sa naka-prepare in case this gets worse," Gapay said.
(So far here in Luzon, the largest containment is in Fort Magsaysay, that's a drug center with a capacity of 10,000. It is among those being prepared in case this gets worse.)
The mega drug rehabilitation center was constructed on a 75,000-hectare land at Fort Magsaysay, the largest military reservation in the Philippines, in November 2016.
The facility was divided into four phases, with each phase able to accommodate 2,500 persons.
The funds for the construction of the facility came from a Chinese billionaire and philanthropist who offered to help President Duterte deal with the illegal drug problem at the time.
The construction of the facility, however, drew flak as critics said it was not fully utilized, since only about a hundred drug dependents have reportedly been admitted into the center -- far from the expected number of admissions which were initially placed at thousands.
But with the threat of coronavirus, the mega drug rehabilitation center has found a new purpose as a quarantine site to hopefully decongest the hospitals which have already exhausted their resources and exceeded their capacity in dealing with COVID-19.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III warned that the number of COVID-19-positive patients in the country might continue to rise in the coming days as more test kits were made available with the arrival of 100,000 kits from China over the weekend.
Other countries such as South Korea and Singapore, among others, have also donated test kits and made pledges to the Philippines.
As of Tuesday morning, the Philippines had 501 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The death toll remained at 33 while the recoveries were 19.
Gapay gave assurance of the readiness of the mega drug rehabilitation facility, saying the rooms and beds have already been set up while medical teams from the military are placed on standby.
He said their medical teams can help health workers monitor a large number of affected individuals at the Nueva Ecija facility should their services be needed.
He added that Army camps in other regions where there are alarming number of coronavirus cases may be used as quarantine sites.
"In case of a major outbreak wherein we need massive containment facilities, nakahanda ang mga kampo natin, hindi lang sa Metro Manila but nationwide (our camps are prepared not only in Metro Manila but nationwide)," Gapay said.