The newly-completed North Cotabato Provincial Veterinary Quarantine Services Center (left) along Davao-Cotabato highway in Barangay Old Bulatukan, Makilala town, and the two-story IPHO building inside the capitol grounds in Kidapawan City. (Photos courtesy of North Cotabato PIO)
KIDAPAWAN CITY – The North Cotabato provincial government opened this week PHP42.2 million worth of essential infrastructures to further improve healthcare and strengthen biosecurity measures in the province.
Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza said the projects consisted of the PHP14.7 million Provincial Veterinary Quarantine Services Center (PVQSC) in Makilala town and the PHP30.5 million two-story building of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) inside the provincial capitol complex here.
Mendoza led the PVQSC opening Tuesday and the IPHO facility Wednesday.
Mendoza said the PVQSC facility situated in Barangay Old Bulatukan, Makilala, will check and disinfect all vehicles entering the province, particularly from the Davao Region as it is located in the boundary of Davao del Sur and North Cotabato provinces.
“This will stop the spread and possible entry of any contagious animal disease that could hamper agriculture and livestock sectors including the health and security of our constituents,” the governor said in a statement Thursday.
All individuals must submit to a foot bath and pertinent papers will be checked for animals and meat products before entering the province.
The newly-built structure, which the provincial veterinary office will manage, is the first veterinary quarantine facility in the Soccsksargen Region.
Meanwhile, the governor said the newly-completed two-story IPHO building is expected to cater to a wide range of health services in North Cotabato.
The building will function as a one-hospital command center with a 128-seater audiovisual room, conference room, and a multipurpose room that can accommodate 150 participants.
“Health services is one of my priorities to reach far-flung villages to cater to those in need,” the governor said.
The PVQSC and IPHO facilities were turned over to the respective implementing provincial agencies. (PNA)
