Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 31) — A construction firm is putting business aside, for now, and is offering the Department of Health use of partially unpaid, newly-constructed barangay health stations as COVID-19 centers.
JBros Construction Corporation’s Director for Operations Julieanne Jorge said the government can use 570 health stations for free.
These were constructed in 2016 and 2017, under a contract with DOH during the Aquino administration. But the health department has not yet given the company full payment.
JBros is also asking DOH to release the ₱2.4 billion it deposited in Landbank four years ago. This money is part of the ₱3.5 billion public funds originally allotted as payment for the project.
The barangay health centers
Each of the barangay health center being offered by the company is 50 square meters.
There is enough space for 2 to 3 beds and a separate office for heath workers.
Some 465 out of the 570 barangay health centers are located in the regions with high number of COVID-19 cases, including Central Luzon with 150 units, CALABARZON with 234 units, Metro Manila with 12 units, and Bicol region with 43 units.
Most of these are located in far-flung areas.
“The DOH can use it as a headquarters maybe, or a testing center, a quarantine area, since it is located in the barangay level, the patients they don’t have to go to the hospital anymore. They will just go to the barangay, they can get tested within the confines of their own barangay,” Jorge told CNN Philippines.
“It could limit the spread of the virus,” she added.
Jorge said this is one of the best solutions, as local governments continue to look for quarantine or isolation places for persons under investigation for COVID-19.
“Truth be told it would be negligent on the part of the government not to use resources that are already available,” Jorge said.
JBros: Release unused DOH funds
JBros is also asking DOH to release a part of the ₱P2.4 billion fund it deposited in Landbank in 2016 for the Barangay Health Station project.
The health department initially entered a contract with JBros for the construction of 3,200 barangay health stations nationwide— amounting to ₱3.5 billion. But the health department has not fully paid it yet and has pending injunction against the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission’s award to JBros. The commission ruled that DOH should pay JBros ₱1.043 billion for the completed and partially-constructed units.
Since only this ₱1.043 billion payment is disputed, JBros said the DOH can just withdraw the remaining ₱2.4 billion which can be used in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
“We actually made a breakdown of how much the 2.4 billion could impact our fight against this pandemic. For example, funding for PPEs, additional support for our health workers, so many things that we can do with it,” Jorge said.
“At P4,000 per health worker, imagine how many health workers we can support with the P2.4 Billion. The money is just sitting there, why don’t we just use it?” he added.
Jorge said, with the latest Bayanihan as One Act, the president may now reallocate or realign savings.
JBros has sent a letter to DOH and Malacañang last week, but has not yet received any response.
“We need funds, it’s there, why not use it? We are willing to help out,” Jorge said. “Whatever document that we need to sign, we are willing to execute it.”
Jorge is asking the government to “set aside all of these technicalities, other issues, (which) are not material to saving lives.”
