Navy gets emergency quarantine facility from architecture firm

April 2, 2020

The military formally received one of the first COVID-19 emergency quarantine facility (EQF) in a ceremony in Taguig City on Wednesday afternoon.

Lt. Commander Maria Christina Roxas, Philippine Navy spokesperson, said the ceremony was led by Fleet-Marine Ready Force Commander, Commo. Toribio Adaci, Jr., who received the quarantine facility from William Ti of WTA Architecture and Design Studio.

She said the ceremony also witnessed by Brig. Gen William Ilagan, the AFP chief engineer; Capt Lemuel Espartinez, commander, Naval Task Group-NCR and Lt Col Henry Espinosa, commanding officer of the 12th Marine Battalion was held at the training center of the Naval Combat Engineering Brigade in Jose Francisco Naval Station where the facility was built.

Roxas said Adaci thanked WTA for the project.

“This facility will be used by our frontliners. We hope that we will continue to build more of this kind of facility, not only for us, not just for the Armed Forces, but for our communities,” Adaci said.

Ti also thanked the military for partnering with them in the project.

“This is easy to build. Anyone can build it in the islands or provinces…everywhere. We thank the AFP for making partners with us and to make this happen,” Ti said.

In his statement, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Felimon Santos also expressed gratitude to the WTA Architecture and Design Studio.

“These temporary facilities will further enhance our capability to care for patients and certainly ease some of the burden of many hospitals dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

“In these trying times, it makes us proud to see Filipinos step up with ingenious means of helping our government and our frontline personnel,” Santos said.

“This battle will be long and hard and this is the time for others to step up, use their creativity and expertise, and unite with the one unifying purpose of winning this fight against COVID-19,” he added.

Roxas said “the EQF is an ingenious, easy to set up structure made of readily available materials such as wood and plastic that can accommodate up to 17 patients”.

“It is the brainchild of Architect Ti’s group designed to house those people exposed to the corona virus and categorized as under monitoring and investigation (PUMs and PUIs) which the hospitals can no longer accommodate due to overwhelming cases,” she said.

The Navy, through the NTG-NCR and the 12th Marine Battalion, engaged Ti’s group to put up an EQF inside the Navy station to augment isolation facility requirements for sailors and marines in the frontlines manning various quarantine assistance stations in the NCR and who must undergo quarantine after exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms,” Roxas said.

“While it is initially intended to cater to military frontliners, the EQF is also projected for public utilization as part of the contingency plan should the situation worsens. This likelihood is now being addressed by putting up additional EQFs in various military facilities,” she added.

Roxas said the operation and the needed medical requirements of the quarantine facility will be supervised by the PN’s chief surgeon.

“The PN’s EQF is a tangible manifestation of the outstanding partnership between the military and the civilian sector especially in this time of crisis,” she said.

“This pilot project will help validate the efficacy and usefulness of the concept and shall serve as inspiration for other institutions to adopt the same scheme amid the increasing number of PUIs and PUMs,” Roxas said. Robina Asido/DMS