THE continuing rise in Covid-19 cases across Cebu convinced the Archdiocese of Cebu to allow the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (Opav) and other government agencies to use the IC3 Convention Center in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City as an isolation facility.
This is what Msgr. Joseph Tan, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Cebu, said Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, following Opav’s announcement that the Archdiocese had allowed it to convert the IC3 Convention Center into a temporary treatment and monitoring facility (TTMF) for Covid-19 patients with mild and moderate symptoms.
The proposed TTMF at IC3 will be able to house 120 patients. It will be managed by the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) and supported by the Cebu City Government.
Based on what they agreed, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma will allow the IC3’s use for free from Feb. 1, 2022 to Jan. 31, 2023.
The Archdiocese’s deal with Opav came after church officials led by Palma backed out of a deal with private sector-led Bayanihan Cebu Inc. (BCI) to convert the IC3 into an isolation facility.
In an interview last Jan. 21, Tan said the Archdiocese did not proceed with its deal with BCI due to some terms in the draft contract that they couldn’t agree on, including a provision desired by the Archdiocese that IC3 be used as an isolation facility for only a year.
Tan added that one consideration why Palma didn’t proceed with the deal with BCI was that Palma had consulted Octa Research fellow Fr. Nicanor Austriaco concerning the severity of the Omicron variant and got the impression that the surge brought by the Omicron variant was already winding down.
Tan, however, said Wednesday that Palma changed his mind on allowing the IC3’s use now that another Covid-19 surge is occurring in Cebu.
“The Archbishop was convinced by Secretary Dino and representatives of LGUs in Cebu of the need for a bigger isolation facility now that our Covid-19 cases continue to increase,” Tan added.
On Wednesday, the Archdiocese, represented by Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Midyphil Billones, and officials led by Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Covid-19 vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez signed the agreement.
Dino said IC3’s role as a TTMF will be greatly useful, especially with the current critical care utilization rates for both public and private hospitals in Cebu remaining at high levels due to the ongoing Omicron-driven Covid-19 surge.