PRIVATE sector-led non-stock, non-profit organization Bayanihan Cebu Inc. (BCI) will no longer push through with its plan to establish a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) isolation facility at the IC3 Convention Center in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.
This, after BCI disclosed that the Archdiocese of Cebu, which owns the property where IC3 stands, failed to sign the memorandum of agreement (MOA) that would have allowed BCI to fund, manage and operate the proposed Bayanihan Cebu Covid-19 Treatment Center isolation facility.
The non-signing of the MOA came after BCI had already initiated construction of the facility.
"Though construction of the proposed isolation facility intended to help augment the healthcare capacity of Cebu had already been underway in order to expeditiously provide proper medical care for our fellow Cebuanos who may get infected by the virus, but whose homes may not be suitable for home isolation due to damages caused by the recent typhoon, Bayanihan Cebu Inc. nevertheless dutifully respects and abides by this decision of the Cebu Archdiocese," the BCI said in a statement released Friday.
Msgr. Joseph Tan, the Archdiocese's official spokesperson, told SunStar Cebu that Archbishop Jose Palma did not sign the agreement with BCI due to some terms and conditions it contained that were not raised in their initial verbal agreement.
"When the MOA was drafted, the Archdiocese stipulated that the contract should only last for one year. There were also other terms that the Archdiocese set on the contract that the BCI didn't find acceptable," Tan said.
Tan declined to divulge what those terms were.
Tan said Palma had consulted Filipino-American priest and Octa Research fellow Fr. Nicanor Austriaco on the matter.
"Bishop Palma was talking to Fr. Austriaco regarding the severity of the Omicron variant. It seems he had the impression that the surge brought about by the Omicron variant is winding down. This prompted the Archdiocese to ask BCI to only allow the contract to last for a year," Tan said.
Tan, however, clarified that while their agreement with BCI to establish the facility didn't materialize, they were informed by representatives of the Cebu City Government that they want to directly negotiate with the Archdiocese to put up an isolation facility at the IC3.
Tan said he hopes that Mayor Michael Rama and Palma can come up with a deal so that the City can take over from where BCI left off.
"I hope the mayor of Cebu will enter into a better and more successful agreement with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu," Tan said.
The IC3 Convention Center had been used as a treatment center for mild and moderate Covid-19 patients early in the pandemic before it was converted into a Covid-19 vaccination site last year.
The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH 7) is now scrambling to look for a place where it may set up the Bayanihan Cebu Covid-19 Treatment Center in Cebu.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH 7 chief pathologist, said the temporary treatment and monitoring facility (TTMF) or isolation facility constructed at the IC3 was supposed to be a 350-bed facility ready to operate by the end of the week after two months of planning.
"(This would have been) in time for the surge of cases that we are faced with. However, because of some uncontrolled circumstances, this will not push through,” she said Friday.
Loreche said she believed an expert had advised the Archdiocese not to focus on the threat of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 as “Omicron is supposed to be the end for the pandemic. And temporary treatment monitoring facilities would no longer be needed because the cases would be mild.”
But the chief pathologist expressed her disagreement on this.
"I want it to be known that I disagree with this because we also can learn from the other countries where [the] Omicron variant is the predominant variant of concern,” she said.
Loreche emphasized that even if the symptoms of the new variant are mild, home isolation or home quarantine would not be enough should the number of individuals affected continue to increase.
She noted that the TTMFs, isolation facilities, hospitals in Cebu, and more so the homes, were recently destroyed by Typhoon Odette (Rai) a month ago.
"Where would we place those who have no home for a quarantine or isolation who will have to be waiting for their turn in the hospitals because we are now prioritizing our severe or critically ill individuals or patients (for hospital admission)? Where do we put them?" she asked.
"So now, we are scrambling to look for a place where we may be able to again set up, and it may take a while. But the number of cases that we are seeing is really right there facing us, right in front of us, telling us that we really need places where we can put in these patients," Loreche said.
As of Jan. 20, there were 10,234 active Covid-19 cases in Cebu, according to the DOH 7 case bulletin. (JKV, MKG)