DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 07 May) – The 1,250-square meter “The Dome” of the NCCC Mall VP, which is currently under construction, will be a reserve coronavirus disease (COVID-19) facility, Thea Septann S. Padua, NCCC public relations manager said Wednesday.
“The Dome in NCCC Bajada, as discussed with Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio, is a reserved COVID-19 facility. In the event that the city will need additional holding area, the Dome may be used for such purpose,” Padua said.
She said the local government would do the retrofitting of the “The Dome,” located at the parking area of the mall, to accommodate the patients.
The Lim family, which operates the homegrown New City Commercial Corporation, took over the mall management on Wednesday after announcing its acquisition on March 12, 2019, at an undisclosed amount.
“On the capacity, the city will retrofit inside, so we cannot estimate the number of patients that can be accommodated,” Padua said.
She said the construction of the 15-meter tall structure began in the third quarter of 2019, and is supposedly completed around this time, but works have been stalled by the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We cannot give a definite timeline because a lot of structural and mechanical work still has to be done, considering that our construction was halted at the outset of the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine),” she said.
She said some of the necessary resources to complete it have to be imported.
She said the “The Dome” would serve as another function hall and convention center in the city.
She said the facility has a capacity of around 3,000 for standing guests and 600 guests with tables. Also, 124 booths can be installed inside it. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)