Cebu City’s NOAH Complex officially unveiled

The blessing and inauguration of the NOAH Complex quarantine facility at the South Road Properties in Cebu City. | Photo Courtesy of Cebu City PIO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The New Normal Oasis for Adaptation and a Home (NOAH) Complex at the South Road Properties here was unveiled on Thursday evening, May 28, 2020.

The inauguration and blessing of the complex was led by Presidential spokesperson, Harry Roque, Cebu City Mayor Edgar Edgardo Labella, Vice Mayor Michael Rama, Presidential Assistant to the Visayas Michael Dino, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, and the members of the Cebu City Council.

Read: P50M NOAH Complex almost complete – Guardo

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma officiated the blessing of the ongoing construction of the quarantine site.

The NOAH Complex can house up to 9,000 asymptomatic patients of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is where the city plans to transfer the patients from the barangay isolation centers.

The privately owned Bigfoot Studios has been converted into a quarantine site for the project. The structure stands in a city-owned property.

It was initiated by Rama, Tourism Commissioner Jocelyn Pesquera, the members of the council, and the private sector such as SM, Metro Pacific, Robinson’s, Filinvest, Cebu Medical Society, Oasis of Love, VECO, Philippine Water and others.

Secretary Roque praised the city for the Bayanihan spirit of the government and its constituents to pull off a massive project like the NOAH Center.

Read: Cebu City Council approves P50M for quarantine center at SRP

For Labella, this additional quarantine center will help form the line of defense for the city’s fight against the COVID-19, especially that Cebu City has the highest number of cases in the country.

This is the fourth quarantine facility. The Cebu City Quarantine Center at the North Reclamation Area remains unused.

Recently the second Bayanihan Quarantine Center was inaugurated at the IEC Pavillion. The first Bayanihan Center is located in the old Sacred Heart Jesuits Schools building.

The Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) also serves as another quarantine center for the city.

“As of now, we have constructed a very shall we say sophisticated, compliant with all the requirements of the Department of Health, a quarantine facility that can accommodate about 300 mild-moderate cases. We were able to buy ambulances that have what we call negative pressure equipment.”

“We were able to distribute foodstuff, 200,000 sacks of rice to our people and we still have surplus just in case. So, my dear Secretary, I would say without fear of contradiction that Cebu City is very much prepared,” said Labella during the inauguration. 

The facility is expected to be ready for use within the next few weeks. /bmjo