How my High School Gym Became a COVID-19 Frontliner Dorm
The ‘Multipurpose’ Gymnasium that sits on the edge of my campus houses countless memories from my high school years—it was where we wearily swam laps, held research fairs, and endured the heat during cramped school-wide festivals. It was also where my (now-postponed) graduation would have taken place.
Instead, the gym serves an entirely different purpose due to the COVID-19 pandemic: It is populated not by students, nor teachers, but frontliners. Nineteen employees from the nearby Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) reside in the gym’s table tennis area, from where they can walk to work every day.
“[The change] makes it a lot easier for PCMC, because these frontliners don’t have to go home. Hindi sila makakahawa sa communities nila, and nagiging faster yung operations nila kasi malapit sila sa ospital,” said Dr. Lawrence Madriaga, director of the Philippine Science High School’s Main Campus (PSHS-MC). The public medical facility had reached out to him in late March, requesting accommodations for their employees as well as patients suspected to be infected by the coronavirus disease.
Soon, the turnover was approved by the school system’s Board of Trustees, laying the groundwork for multiple initiatives to support the transformation.
Pisay Alumni ‘United As One’
English teacher Elizabeth Sagucio describes the revamped gym as a “homey campground”, as modular tents now line the indoor courts. She is a member of the core team of United As One—a fundraising project that aimed to fill a supply gap in the gym’s conversion. Although the school assured free water and electricity, and the Quezon City government provided the tents, medical provisions like face masks and waste containers remained scarce.
With this, Sagucio hoped to contribute from home, inspired by the drive of her own peers working as medical frontliners. “Ganun sila ka-busy and yet they’re still serving, kaya ginusto ko rin na tumulong,” she said. She was among the first to volunteer her time when batchmate Winston Elliot posted the fundraiser idea in the Batch 2001 Facebook group.
The United As One initiative aimed to contribute in three ways: by providing PPEs for frontliners, equipping the Pisay gym for PCMC to use, and developing testing booths for underserved communities. To direct funds for all three causes, the team set the grandiose goal of raising one million Pesos in one month through a strenuous online campaign. PCMC came up with a ‘needs list’ for the gym, and the doctors in the team served as consultants in determining how the remaining proceeds would be used.
“The doctors were doing their part, and yet they still chose to be part of the core team,” Sagucio said. “We regularly communicate with PCMC’s officers, and one of the doctors [in the team], Fides Castor—siya yung may close ties with the PCMC staff, so siya yung kumukuha ng ‘needs list’ and updates.”
As donations increased, the team of alumni invested time to bring their procured supplies to the campus. Dr. Madriaga noted that members of the faculty and staff residing in school dormitories, unable to go home to their distant provinces, then received the provisions and brought them to the gym.
The team hit their monetary goal in May, 27 days after their first call for donations. While there are no suspect or probable cases currently on campus, the equipment they supplied enables the indoor basketball court to serve as a quarantine center should PCMC exceed its capacity for COVID-19 patients. As planned, the funds were also used to construct and deliver swab testing booths for communities in Pampanga, Bulacan, and Rizal.
Sagucio attributes the success of United As One to the generosity of the donors, institutions, and team members supporting their cause.
“[Our 1M goal] was ambitious, pero wala namang mawawala if it [hadn’t been] achieved. If you declare your goal, meron at merong people or instances that will help in achieving it,” she said. “As long there are people who are willing to initiate, help, and serve others, any donation drive is guaranteed to succeed.”
Other Avenues for Service
Following the conversion of the gym, Pisay students also offered their support for the PCMC frontliners. Artists of different batches sent in inspirational cards, soon to be delivered to the gym by members of the Guidance and Counseling Unit. Alumni, scholars, teachers, and staff all harnessed opportunities to serve.
In another school building, faculty members assembled 3D-printed face shields. Others from the Chemistry unit worked in laboratories to make 70% ethanol alcohol. The products of these efforts were then donated to various hospitals in Quezon City as part of a system-wide program called PisAyuda: Siyensiya Para sa Bayan.
“We stand by our core values. At this time, nangingibabaw yung service to the nation. Every one of us somehow is affected by this pandemic. Some of us are still capable of doing something for the community, and we are doing it. That’s the role of the Pisay system — kung kayang tumulong, we’ll do it,” said Dr. Madriaga.
As the pandemic rages on, PSHS-MC is continuing to hurdle through preparations for a new school year. Although the gym was successfully furnished for PCMC in a matter of weeks, other issues like having 36 construction workers stranded on campus remain — “pinabayaan [sila] ng contractor,” as Dr. Madriaga narrated. The school administration has been providing food for the workers since the Luzon-wide lockdown began.
Challenges aside, Sagucio and Dr. Madriaga hope that more avenues for service can be discovered by members of the Pisay community in these strange times.
“Any contribution to a cause has an impact. Even just connecting with people, asking how they’re feeling…malaking bagay ‘yun. Things as simple as sharing the cause of a drive, to sharing whatever resources we have, to actually being in the front lines — all of these aid in the preparedness and ability to respond to the pandemic,” says Sagucio.
“We are experiencing an unprecedented challenge,” she adds. “This is going to require unprecedented strength and resilience.”
Stay updated on the efforts of the United As One initiative by following their Facebook page. The gym shall be returned to PSHS-MC, properly disinfected, at least one week before the resumption of classes.
Special Thanks
We would like to give our sincerest gratitude to Awards Central for donating a test booth to PCMC, and for constructing test booths at cost. Special thanks to the Fashion Institute of the Philippines volunteers for the washable masks. To the Pisay Batch 2001 batchmates, Pisay alumni community, family members, and friends, thank you so much for your generosity and help.
(Ms. Elizabeth Sagucio)
