THE German Red Cross (GRC) donated some P8.8 million worth of ambulances and rescue equipment to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) during a simple handover rites held recently at the Philippine Red Cross Tower in
Mandaluyong City.
PRC Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon accepted the donations, which include four ambulances, with medical equipment valued at P7.8 million; and water search and rescue (Wasar) vehicles, composed of rescue boats and life-saving equipment valued at over P1 million, from Emilio Teijeira, GRC head of delegation.
“We are grateful to the German Red Cross for this generous support to the Philippine Red Cross. These ambulances and water search and rescue vehicles and equipment will further strengthen PRC’s capacity to respond to emergencies, disasters and other multicasualty incidents,” Gordon said.
The donated ambulances will be added to the PRC national headquarters’ fleet of ambulances, while the Wasar vehicles and equipment will be turned over to Leyte (two plastic boats) and Cebu (one plastic boat) chapters for the continuous Supertyphoon Yolanda recovery operations.
“These rescue equipment will be useful in rescue operations in response to multidisasters, such as flood, landslide and storm surge, that may hit the country, especially during typhoon seasons,” Gordon said.
Through the years, GRC has assisted the PRC not only through donations of equipment and vehicles, but also in building houses and providing livelihood for the families affected by disasters. With the recent donation, the PRC now has 126 ambulances and 74 rescue boats.