IT WAS a project with many challenges yet Cebu City officials were able to complete the Mega Stay-in Center located at a portion of the Cebu City Sports Center in days.
The project was meant to answer an urgent need as coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases were increasing because of the more transmissible Delta variant and barangay isolation centers and medical facilities running out of space. Acting Mayor Michael Rama, together with other officials, cut the red ribbon to mark the opening of the isolation center last Sunday, August 8, 2021. A priest then blessed the beds and other spaces of the center.
Photos of the ribbon-cutting led to a backlash on Facebook (where else?) where the reaction was almost instant and virulent. Comments questioned the need for ribbon-cutting and how the set-up of the beds would only allow for more transmission of the virus.
Yes, officials could have simply dropped the ribbon-cutting which is done usually to open a place and signify new beginnings. The isolation center is intended to bring Cebu City to a new beginning but those with Covid-19 and their families are focused on survival than a launch. The blessing of the facility is understandable and necessary but it’s not the same for the ribbon-cutting. To do away with the cutting of ribbon does not diminish the City’s achievement in setting up the isolation center in a short period.
Senator Nancy Binay made an issue of this last April when she saw inauguration ceremonies being held for the new Quezon Institute Offsite Modular Hospital. She said Covid-19 facilities should be opened right away without fanfare as opening ceremonies are “unnecessary.”
She said in a tweet last April 6, “Pakiusap kung pwede buksan na lang para magamit agad. Sayang lang ang oras sa ribbon cutting at photo ops. These things are unnecessary and leave a bad taste for families of Covid-19 patients who are racing against life and time.”
This is one suggestion officials should consider to show empathy and assure residents that they know the priorities.
Then, there’s this idea about cardboard beds, the same ones used for the Tokyo Olympics athletes. What will happen to those beds after the summer and winter Olympics? They could still serve as beds in isolation and quarantine facilities in the Philippines.
These cardboard beds are made of recycled material and are durable, as shown in testimonies of athletes. Reports said Olympics officials plan to send these beds to recycling plants after the games.
Recycled and eco-friendly goods often are priced higher than regular items probably because of the cost of the invention and reusing materials. So, these may be beyond our Covid-19 budgets.
But there’s nothing to stop the Philippines from asking Japan to donate those foldable cardboard beds for use in our Covid-19 facilities or for disaster shelters. Those beds could answer a need during this pandemic.