April 20, 2020 – Behind the speedy turnover of the World Trade Center We Heal as One Center are people who worked day in and day out to make it happen.
The Ayala Group of Companies, in partnership with the ICCP Group and with the support of the National Government and Bases and Conversion Development Authority, was able to transform the premier events place into a 500-bed center for COVID-19 patients within a span of seven days.
“When the national government asked for Ayala Land’s support, we immediately mobilized and pooled our resources to assist in the best way we can. We hope that this facility will help our country get through the COVID-19 pandemic. We are privileged to work with like-minded partners who want to do what’s best for the Filipino people,” Ayala Land President and CEO Bobby O. Dy said.
Makati Development Corporation (MDC), Ayala Land’s
construction arm, was in charge of retrofitting
the area. The contributions of the workers who
signed up for the project were crucial in
concretizing the plans.
“We are fortunate to
have such dedicated employees and partners who
worked over the past seven days to complete this
project. They braved through these unusual
circumstances to bring the facility to life, and
we are grateful for their participation in the
country’s fight against the pandemic,” MDC
President and CEO Dante Abando said.
Setting the plan
MDC, the construction arm of Ayala Land Inc., was fresh off completing the retrofitting of the Philippine Red Cross’ headquarters in Mandaluyong into a COVID-19 testing center when it was called to participate in the WTC facility.
MDC Project Lead Jowell San Jose recalls how they met with officials from the Department of Health, Department of Public Works and Highways, ICCP Group, Manila Exhibition Center Inc., and heads of other participating companies in order to start the wheels turning for the project.
“It was on April 1 when we got the go signal to start the construction work, so I immediately mobilized my team together with the other contractors,” San Jose said in an online interview.
Building the quarantine facility was a first for
MDC. Not only did they need to plan a makeshift
healthcare center, the team also had to make sure
it would be fit to contain infectious diseases.
With
this, Architect Roland Arimado and Engineer Dennis
Alejandro of MDC led the design team in ensuring
they followed Department of Health design
guidelines.
“Given the tight schedule, our team worked round
the clock to provide the required designs,”
Arimado said. “The ventilation and airconditioning
system needed extra work, both during design and
implementation, since the WTC facility had
requirements above those of conventional
health-care centers,” Alejandro added.
MDC
Medical Director Dr. Michael Miranda was also
tapped for technical advice to make sure the
facility complied with both World Health
Organization and ISO standards.
Safety first
Dr. Miranda was also in charge of the workers’
health and welfare during the course of the
build.
Every worker was given a complete set
of personal protective equipment, complementing
their usual safety gear for construction. They
were also given quarantine passes for easy
mobility during the lockdown, while about four to
five vehicles were hired to shuttle workers to and
from their homes.
“Every day we mobilized our
workers. There were several nurses on-site to
regularly monitor their health,” San Jose said,
adding that they installed a misting tent to
sanitize workers and also provided them with free
meals all throughout.
Workers followed day and night shifts to ensure that construction stayed on track. To address procurement difficulties because of the lockdown, MDC had to source some of the materials from inventories of existing projects.
Several partners also contributed to the completion of the facility, including additional funding from the Philippine Constructors Association, supply and installation of tables, various plumbing, sanitary, and electrical supplies and equipment, and disinfection tents from Cebu Oversea Hardware, Amici Mercantile/Scientia Inc., Lixil Philippines, Voltage Electrical, and F.R. Sevilla Ind. & Dev. Corp.
The bayanihan spirit
Despite the additional challenges they had to
face, the MDC team remained steadfast throughout
the project.“I am glad I was able to make use of
my profession for a noble undertaking. For an
architect who wants to use his expertise to
directly benefit the nation, it doesn’t get any
closer than this,” Arimado said.
“The real
people who did the work was our construction team.
They were there for 24 hours, and yet, you
wouldn’t see anyone complaining. As part of the
build team, there was enormous pride and sacrifice
to really build this facility that is deserving of
our countrymen,” Dr. Miranda said.
The facility has now been turned over to the Armed Forces of the Philippines Health Services Command, who will serve as medical operator.