THE Bayanihan Cebu Executives and International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) Field Center was turned over to the Department of Health (DOH) 7 on Tuesday afternoon, May 26, 2020.

The DOH 7 will operate the 130-bed facility for patients showing symptoms of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Edmun Liu, member of Bayanihan Cebu, thanked all the benefactors who helped to complete the facility.

He said the facility has “five shelters and each is fully equipped with negative pressure and medical grade hepa-filters in order to protect better our frontliners, our patients and also our neighboring communities.”

The Bayanihan Cebu is a group led by Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino. It has the support of the members of Batches ‘85 and ‘72 of the Sacred Heart School for Boys (SHS).

The Archdiocese of Cebu led by Archbishop Jose Palma allowed the group to put up a field center for Covid-19 patients.

Liu said 34 symptomatic Covid-19 patients were treated at the Bayanihan Cebu SHS Field Center, on Gen. Maxilom Ave. which has 48 beds. Two of the patients have fully recovered.

He said they have been praying that the facility would not be used. An unused facility for Covid-19 patients means that the public is healthy, he said.

“To be honest, one of our single prayer here in Bayanihan Cebu is we constantly pray that these facilities will not be needed as they say pragmatism dictates that it is better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them,” Liu said.

DOH 7 Director Dr. Jaime Bernadas thanked the archdiocese for allowing them to convert the IEC into a quarantine facility.

The opening of the Bayanihan Cebu IEC Field Center in Barangay Mabolo was attended by Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan and officials from government agencies. (PAC)