Sister city to donate P15 million emergency equipment to ERUF

CEBU, Philippines - The City Government of Haarlemmermeer in Netherlands will donate emergency equipment worth at least P15 million to the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF) through the Cebu City Government under its sister-city agreement.

Eruf will get two emergency vehicles – a fire truck with accessories and an ambulance with life support apparatus, as well as rescue and fire fighting materials, medical supplies, uniforms for ambulance and fire fighting personnel, set of equipment, tools and laboratory supplies, and hospital beds for children.

Dr. Robert Durieux, project coordinator of Haarlemmermeer, informed former City Public Information Officer Nagiel Bañacia, these will arrive in Cebu by December this year.

But the Haarlemmermeer government asked the city to shoulder the incidental expenses in the shipment such as freight and handling, customs duties and taxes and other related fees.

Haarlemmermeer shall prepare all documentation requirements.

To defray the expenses for these, a resolution was passed requesting Mayor Michael Rama to include in the Annual Budget of 2011, the amount of P2 million under the duties and taxes account of the General Services Office.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the sister-city relations between Cebu City and Haarlemmermeer which “has evolved over the years into real people to people partnership due to the various joint projects and programs aimed at mutual sustainable development.”

The two cities forged ties in 1990.

Just recently, Haarlemmermeer granted aid to ERUF in terms of technical assistance and capability building through the first round of donations of ambulances and training of personnel in specialized rescue and emergency services.

It has also donated several medical equipment to the Cebu City Medical Center in the past, including some 300 sets of computers donated to different partner non-government organizations and the Gawad Kalinga houses built by a group of Dutch youth last year and financed by the Haarlemmermeer Government.   (FREEMAN NEWS)