The hyperbaric chamber and facility to be established in Dauin town, Negros Oriental province through the Department of Tourism-Tourism Infrastructure & Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) has hit a snag.
The project was originally scheduled for groundbreaking last Sept. 5, but was put on hold after some municipal officials raised concerns regarding its location, Dauin Mayor Galicano Truita said on Monday.
Truita said the project could not proceed unless the municipal council grants him authority through a resolution to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with TIEZA.
According to him, the Vice Mayor and some Councilors have asked him to present documents relative to the establishment of the hyperbaric facility which is aimed at luring more tourists, especially local and international divers.
The Mayor, however, emphasized it is the TIEZA who should be submitting these documents, being the project proponent.
Woodrow Maquiling Jr., provincial tourism executive director, said the establishment of a hyperbaric chamber in Dauin is “part of a national project that is spearheaded by TIEZA with the approval of Tourism Sec. Christina Frasco to have new hyperbaric chambers in the top tourism destinations in the country”.
This initiative highlights the importance the government puts on the safety and comfort of tourists.
Maquiling said the project costs around P50 million for the hyperbaric chamber/equipment, and another P20 million for the structure to house it.
Mayor Truita said the location of the hyperbaric chamber, measuring some 200 square meters, is adjacent to the newly-constructed jetty port in Barangay Maayong Tubig.
The project is at no cost to the Dauin local government or the Province, as TIEZA will be funding it, and will also provide the staffing requirements, such as doctors trained in hyperbaric medicine.
Truita said he is eyeing other remedies such as the provincial government signing a MOA with TIEZA instead, and having the hyperbaric chamber built on private land.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not just for scuba divers who develop Bends or decompression sickness while rapidly ascending to the surface, but also for treatment of certain wounds and medical conditions. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
