By Martin Sadongdong
General Felimon Santos Jr., Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), has applauded the military engineers who helped in the construction of temporary shelters for medical frontliners at the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) in Quezon City.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) (MANILA BULLETIN)
Santos said the military engineers, led by Chief Engineer Major General William Ilagan, belong to the 51st Engineering Brigade of the Philippine Army.
Ilagan and his troops participated in the "Oasis Shelter" project launched by Vice President Leni Robredo which aims to provide comfortable sleeping accommodations to medical workers in the frontline against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The project is part of Robredo's flagship anti-poverty program called "Angat Buhay" which links communities that are in dire need of help to organizations which offer assistance.
"Our engineers under the leadership of our Chief Engineer MGen William Ilagan has worked tirelessly in the construction of facilities that are vital in our efforts to lessen the impact of the pandemic, especially on our frontline workers and on our medical treatment facilities," Santos said.
The AFP Chief also thanked Robredo for initiating the project and allowing the military to assist in the construction of the temporary shelters.
"We will not stop here and our lines will continue to be open for more Angat Buhay projects," he stated.
The shelters were inaugurated last week with Robredo spearheading the event. Partners and donors from IKEA Philippines and Angat Buhay attended the event.
Aside from the Lung Center of the Philippines, the AFP has also deployed personnel in the construction of temporary shelters at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Chinese General Hospital, and Manila Doctors Hospital.
The military has been actively involved in the government's fight to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Aside from helping partner-agencies in the construction of shelters for medical workers, the military has also helped in the building and manning of quarantine and laboratory centers.
It has also utilized military assets to transport medical personnel, supplies and equipment across the country and from abroad.
Soldiers were also deployed in the streets to help the police guard hundreds of wuarantine checkpoints in areas placed under community quarantine.