ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Rizal memorial begins quarantine operations today; Villars install disinfecting apparatus in hospital

Rizal memorial begins quarantine operations today; Villars install disinfecting apparatus in hospital

Published Apr 5, 2020 12:00 am

By Argyll Cyrus Geducos

The conversion of the Rizal Memorial Complex into a quarantine facility for coronavirus patients will be completed and operational today, April 6, National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez, Jr. said Sunday.

Galvez, in a teleconference with doctors from private hospitals in Manila, said the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) will transfer its COVID-19 positive asymptomatic and symptomatic patients Tuesday, April 7.

"The Rizal Memorial Complex will be operationalized by Monday. We will inspect it and ensure the quality of its facilities," he said. "

Our strategy is to transfer patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms. It will also be manned by three doctors and 50 nurses from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) medical services," he explained.

Galvez’s statement was in response to concerns that there are non-COVID19 patients who are unable to get medical attention because clinics are closed due to the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

The retrofitted Rizal Memorial Complex has air-conditioned cubicles, offers free food for patients and frontliners, free Internet connection, and 24/7 monitoring by AFP and PNP doctors and nurses.

To fast-track the conversion of sports complexes and convention centers into quarantine sites, the government partnered with the following private firms: Razon Group, EEI Corporation, Vista Land, Ayala Group, Filinvest, Investment & Capital Corporation of the Philippines, Aboitiz, World Trade Center Metro Manila, Lina Group of Companies, Meralco, PLDT, Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, D.M. Consunji, Inc., and the Concepcion Industrial Corporation

Galvez assured doctors that the NTF is prioritizing the distribution of essential medical supplies like personal protective equipment (PPEs) to both government and private hospitals across Metro Manila.

About 15,000 PPEs arrived at the Villamor Airbase Tuesday, 12,000 of which were immediately delivered to the following COVID-19 designated hospitals: Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine General Hospital, and Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital, and other hospitals such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center, East Avenue Medical Center, and San Lazaro Hospital.

Disinfecting apparatus in hospitals

The disinfecting apparatus donated by the Villar Group in support of the country’s fight against the spread of COVID-19 outbreak was installed yesterday at Rizal Medical Center in Pasig for the use of the health care workers, staff, and everyone visiting the hospital.

The disinfecting apparatus has a sensor prompting to automatically spray disinfecting mists when people enter the tunnel.

The disinfecting apparatus will also be installed at the Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine Heart Center, and Quirino Medical Center in Quezon City, RITM and Las Pinas General Hospital, San Lazaro and Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila, and Don Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial in Caloocan.

Waiver

The Philippine Medical Association (PMA), Philippine College of Surgeons (PCS), and Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) on Sunday appealed to patients and persons under investigation (PUIs) for coronavirus disease to "voluntarily waive" the confidentiality of their medical data.

"We clarify that the confidentiality of a patient's medical data details is not absolute," PMA President Jose Santiago Jr., PCS President Jose Antonio Salud, and IBP National President Domingo Egon Cayosa said in a joint statement.

The groups specifically asked COVID-19 patients and PUIs to "voluntarily waive the confidentiality of their medical condition and forthrightly inform those they have been in contact with."

They also appealed to the government, particularly the Department of Health (DOH), to use prudently and share promptly medical information to allow concerned authorities, institutions, and individuals to effectively take precaution.

Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra strongly supported the call of the PMA, PCS, and the IBP, saying the disclosure through waivers “will enable other people they have been in close contact with to take the necessary precautions or remedial measures to protect themselves.”

No trend

The PGH also debunked rumors that most of the recently admitted COVID19 patients in the country contracted the disease in grocery stores.

In a statement issued Saturday night, PGH said there is "no such observed trend" with the COVID-19 positive patients admitted in their hospital.

"The two most important risk factors noted are (1) travel history from areas with known local transmission, and (2) close contact with COVID-19 (+) patients," the statement read. (With reports from Rey Panaligan and Minka Klaudia  Tiangco)

ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.