A patient needed an emergency medical assistance some years back. Unfortunately the patient died because the fifth class island municipality of Quezon in Quezon province does not have a fast craft to bring the person to the nearest hospital, Mayor Juan Escolano told the BusinessMirror about the incident that occurred years before his term.
To address the lack of transportation system for emergency purposes, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Calabarzon donated two fiberglass rescue boats, one each to the Quezon province municipalities of Quezon and Perez on October 11.
The locally procured boats that cost at least P2.4 million each from Mie Barca boatcraft industries based in San Pedro, Laguna, have a top speed of 20 knots with two Endumax Parsun motors.
Escolano told the BusinessMirror that it took them only 18 minutes in the new rescue boat to travel from his local government unit (LGU) to Gumaca municipality in mainland Quezon province, where the nearest hospital is located.
It should be noted that using the regular roll-on roll-off boat to and from Atimonan pier in mainland Quezon province to Alabat Island takes around an hour.
The mild mannered mayor said the rescue boat will definitely be the core asset of the LGU in transporting patients seeking medical attention.
The boats can likewise play a vital role in the disaster and risk reduction management program by the two municipalities, which are prone to typhoons, being exposed to the Pacific ocean. They are located between Lopez Bay and Lamon Bay.
The boats can define the success of rescue operations during disasters and sea mishaps during typhoons and ferry sick islanders to the nearest hospital in Gumaca, the mayor said.
DOST Calabarzon Regional Director Emelita Bagsit, together with DOST Quezon Provincial Director Maria Esperanza Jawili turned over the boats to the officials of Quezon and Perez LGUs in the presence of Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Regional Director Maria Theresa Escolano and Quezon Gov. Angelina Tan and Rep. Keith Micah Tan among others.
During the turnover and blessing ceremonies Governor Tan and Representative Tan thanked the DOST for identifying the two municipalities as beneficiaries.
The governor acknowledged that the rescue boats will enhance the disaster management capability of the LGUs.
They can also be used in Bantay Dagat coastal security against illegal fishing. They can also ferry personnel from LGUs to deliver documents to Lucena, the provincial capital.
She said the boats can be used by health workers to easily transport medicines while doing their ocular health inspection and giving free vaccines to their constituents.
Bagsit reiterated the Science department’s commitment to community empowerment. She said that the DOST had already turned over seven fiberglass boats.
One more boat will be transferred to Tingloy municipality in Batangas, or a total of eight rescue boats allotted by the DOST regional office to be donated this year.
Bagsit told the BusinessMirror that the mayors of Perez and Quezon LGUs will acknowledge the donated rescue boats through a memorandum of agreement with the OCD to transfer the ownership of the boats.
To make sure that the program is sustainable, Governor Tan told the municipal councils of both towns to allot a budget for the preventive maintenance of the rescue boats.
Janice Irene Berris, head of the Planning and Operations Unit of DOST Calabarzon, told the BusinessMirror that in order to further utilize the capabilities of the boats, the DOST funded Mapua Institute of Technology students to develop a technology, called Automated Identification System, that can be easily monitored by the LGU and DOST field workers.
Based on the DOST-Calabarzon community needs assessment, the two municipalities are geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
“They are very vulnerable to natural disasters and natural hazards. The fiberglass rescue boats will capacitate their Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices to do their jobs, especially during disaster,” Berris added.
In order to have a smooth transition with the transfer of the rescue boats, DOST and OCD will assist the LGUs in taking care of the fiberglass boats.
Image credits: Bernard Testa