GLAN, Sarangani (MindaNews / 19 June 2026) – The football field of a local school has been utilized as a field hospital after the 30-bed capacity Municipal Hospital was declared a red-tagged structure following the Magnitude 7.8 earthquake that rocked Maasim town on June 8.
A red-tagged structure means one that is already too dangerous to inhabit due to severe damage.
The decision by the Municipal Health Office (MHO) to move all patients and most facilities of the Municipal Hospital to the field hospital followed post-disaster assessments.
But the temporary facility located at the football field of the Glan School of Arts and Trades in Barangay E. Alegado is at the mercy of elements.
Engr. Elnar Watin, head of engineering and maintenance at the MHO, said the patients were exposed to temperatures reaching above 35 degrees in the past days.
When it rains, the patients may not be as fully protected by shelter tents provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The facility is continuing most of the outpatient services.
The service is almost al-fresco, a breeze blowing instead of an anti-septic hospital air.
For the more critical cases, the hospital has no choice but to refer them to more capable facilities in nearby areas.
The field hospital also runs a surgical facility operated by the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center.
However, not all is well, as the staff is at the mercy of the aftershocks, too.
Over 8,300 aftershocks have been recorded as of Friday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. The magnitudes ranged from 1.2 to 6.4 with 90 reported as felt.
Staffers here joked that the quakes did not allow them to “Duck, Cover, and Hold” but to “Stop, Drop, or Roll” instead; one could not remain standing during the tremors.
“We’re just worried about the wellbeing of our staff,” Richelin Deyaya, chief nurse, told MindaNews.
The hospital has a rotating staff of 273, including 20 doctors, at least 60 nursing staff, and 30 maintenance personnel.
Some staffers were also constantly hoping for ayuda or aid coming from the government.
“Remember that some of them have homes that were affected by the quake, too,” Deyaya said.
Asked which priority facilities the field hospital needs, both Watin and Deyaya said they hope help would come to assist patients beat the heat.
Watin has a wishlist: window-type 2HP air conditioners, a supply of THHN wires ranging from 3.5mm, 5.5mm., and 8.0mm electric wires, and a lot of electrical tape.
For now, the engineering teams are making do with existing power connections from the school.
The field hospital would also need to prioritize the maintenance of its X-ray machine and surgical facilities, which would need air-conditioning to make sure the patients get the best care.
Locals said power was out in far-flung areas for almost a week.
Meanwhile, the MHO staff here is preparing for the pullout of the teams supplementing their personnel by the end of June. (Yas Ocampo/MindaNews)
