ILIGAN CITY, Jan. 7 - With Lanao del Sur being one of the areas declared by President Rodrigo R. Duterte under the extended implementation of a General Community Quarantine (GCQ) together with Davao City, Iligan City, and Davao del Norte, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) through its Lanao del Norte 2nd District Engineering Office (LDN2 DEO) turned-over a new 40-bed capacity isolation facility to the Provincial Government of Lanao del Sur to help stem the spread of infection arising from the holiday festivities.

Leading the DPWH contingent during the simple turn-over ceremony were Undersecretary Emil Sadain of DPWH Task Force to Augment Local and National Healthcare Facilities and northern Mindanao Regional Director Zenaida Tan. Accepting the latest anti-COVID-19 facility in behalf of the provincial government of Lanao del Sur was Governor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra was also present during the turnover.

Drone photo of the newly completed 40-bed isolation facility constructed by DPWH- Lanao del Norte 2nd District Engineering Office at barangay Sagonsongan, Marawi City.

The new facility is located in barangay Sagonsongan of Marawi with 40 cubicles, each cubicle having its own hospital bed, electric fan, and convenience outlet. There are also separate restrooms and showers for confined male and female patients.

"We are happy to be given another chance to help our Muslim brothers and sisters here in Lanao del Sur. The COVID-19 threat is still very real especially now that the coronavirus is mutating," expressed District Engineer Alykhan Ali.

This is the second isolation facility constructed by DPWH-LDN2 DEO in Lanao del Sur after it successfully turned-over a 60-bed capacity isolation facility in Brgy. Matapoli, Marantao town on October 20, 2020.

DPWH Project Engineer Norodin Batabor who was tasked by District Engineer Ali to complete the COVID-19 facility managed to finish the project in only ten days."This is a very critical project which has a life and death consequence, so we have to double our efforts and act expeditiously," said Batabor.

For his part, Adiong expressed his gratitude to DPWH for this latest health facility to help reduce local transmission in the province and change its community quarantine status to the more relax modified GCQ like the rest of the country. (VNL/DPWH/PIA-ICIC)