TACLOBAN CITY- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) turn over to the city government of Tacloban a quarantine facility for returning city residents.
The facility is located at the Salvacion Heights, a housing project of the National Housing Authority.
OCD Regional Director Lord Byron Torrecarion disclosed that the said facility is one of the 10 regional quarantine and isolation facilities funded by their office.
“With this we can ensure that our returning residents will be captured in a quarantine facility and limit home isolation which triggers the increase of Covid-19 cases like what happened in Cebu,” Torrecarion said.
City administrator Aldrin Quebec, representing Mayor Alfred Romualdez, accepted the facility in behalf of the city government.
More than P27.4 million budget was allocated in the creation of said facility.
Torrecarion added that the facility in Salvation will function only as quarantine facility and will not house individuals confirmed to have infected of COVID-19(coronavirus disease 2019).
More than 290 individuals can be accommodated in the quarantine facility with 50 units are available and ready for use.
Aside from returning residents, quarters for health workers and other frontliners are also allocated in the facility
Each units has its own water and electricity supply, bed, table and chairs, cabinet and electric fan. There is also a provision of air-conditioning units but this will be installed at tents that are used by health workers and other frontliners.
To secure the area, personnel from the Tacloban City Police Office will be assigned in the facility.
The basic necessities and food of those who will be quarantine in the facility will be provided by the city government, city administrator Quebec said.
“We can now say that we are prepared if there is a spike of COVID-19 patients. This facility turned over by the DPWH and OCD will help us manage the situation once it get worse,” Quebec said.
At present, Tacloban has now almost 500 quarantine and isolation units, excluding the hotels which the city government had made an agreement.
About 50 units of these will be allocated for C OVID-19 positive patients.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Police are investigating an alleged suicide incident involving an army personnel in Tacloban City Thursday (July 30).
Reports reaching the regional headquarters of the Police Regional Office based in Palo town, Leyte, identified the victim as a 48-year-old Army Staff Sergeant from Bato, Leyte.
According to the Tacloban City Police Office-Station 1, they received a call from a private hospital in the city informing them that they heard two gun shots of unknown caliber from a room in the hospital at around 5pm on that day.
Responding policemen found the body of the said victim inside the comfort room in facedown position with blood on the floor. SOCO team was immediately requested in the area. (RONALD O.REYES)