CEBU, Philippines - The Municipality of Dumanjug will be purchasing at least two vehicles as back-up for the ambulance that the town will be acquiring.
Second District Rep. Pablo Garcia provided the budget for the vehicles from his Priority Development Assistance Fund. The town is eyeing at a Toyota Grandia and an L-300 Mitsubishi van.
“The vehicle should be called emergency transport vehicle just to transport the patient to the nearest hospital,” said Garcia son, Dumajug Mayor Nelson Garcia.
The mayor said the purchase of the trucks is not necessarily triggered by the recent incident in the adjacent town of Barili but more so because the town’s ambulance is no longer in good condition. This is reportedly the same case in other municipalities.
Last August 18, a dump truck of the Municipality of Barili was transporting more than 60 people and a coffin to a funeral mass in Barangay Poblacion when it overturned in Barangay Balao. Twelve people died and many were injured in the incident.
The few ambulances from neighboring towns that responded to the incident were partly blamed for the delay in transporting the victims to the hospitals.
“Minus ang ambulansya because maintenance-wise, karaan na sa mga munisipyo, gamay na lang ang maayo kondisyon, giayum ayum na lang ba,” the mayor said.
Dumanjug has no government hospital and the nearby district hospitals are in Barili, Badian and in Carcar City. (FREEMAN)