DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Feb. 6 (PIA) -- The municipality of Pamplona has formally inaugurated the 32-unit isolation facility worth P25.4M under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) program. 

During the inauguration, Gov. Roel Degamo and his wife, Pamplona Mayor Janice  Degamo, DSWD Undersecretary for Operations Group Jerico Francis Javier, and DSWD7 Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero led the turnover of the completed sub-projects to the 16 barangay communities that will soon be responsible for the operationalization of the isolation facility. 

Mayor Degamo ensured that the project of DSWD KALAHI-CIDSS would not go to waste.

“There is no way that this project will become a white elephant because if this will no longer be used as an isolation facility, we are one step closer to turning this building into an emergency or a community hospital," said Degamo. 

The project is the realization of the town to provide their people access to basic medical care, as they entered into a partnership with KALAHI-CIDSS that resulted in community projects.

Both the province and the municipality of Pamplona envisioned that the KALAHI-CIDSS projects of the community volunteers would help them create a public hospital out of the isolation facility that is complete with medical supplies, equipment, and canopies for barangay health stations.

These physical accomplishments are a product of the participation of volunteers who helped during the implementation of the KALAHI-CIDSS NCDDP Additional Financing project as well as the local counterpart contribution of Pamplona in the form of cash, labor, and the purchase of 232,039-square meter lot where the isolation facility is situated. 

Both the governor and the mayor vowed to continue the legacy of the KALAHI-CIDSS in Pamplona, especially the isolation facility, which is set to address public health concerns not just in Pamplona but also in the neighboring towns in the province where there is a lack of access to medical care.

The governor said the “COVID-19 pandemic had previously disrupted the lives of the people and inflicted economic hardships." 

The provincial government is committed to ensuring to combat any future pandemics, and since most of the residents have already been vaccinated, the KALAHI-CIDSS isolation facility will be converted into a community hospital.

He also added that the province will ensure that doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners necessary for the operations of the facility will be provided, including a P20-million fund for riprap around the facility to ensure safety and accessibility.

Javier emphasized that unity plays a vital role in accomplishing such a huge milestone for the people of Pamplona.

“Ang proyektong ito ay halimbawa ng pagkakaisa ng bawat Pilipino. Ang pagkakaisang dala ng maayos na pamamahala ng inyong lokal na pamahalaan at pakikipag-ugnayan sa mga nasasakupan nito. Nakatutok ngayon ang mga proyekto ng KALAHI-CIDSS sa adbokasiya na bawat isa ay kasama sa pag-unlad lalo na ang mga volunteers na mai-angat ang kanilang antas ng pamumuhay (This project is an example of the unity of every Filipino. Unit is brought about the local government unit in partnership with its constituents. KALAHI-CIDSS now focuses on advocacy that enjoins everyone in the development, especially in uplifting the lives of its community volunteers),” Javier said. (JCT/PIA7 Negros Oriental with reports from DSWD7)