Prov’l gov’t honors 35 search-and-rescue groups

CEBU, Philippines - The Provincial Capitol yesterday honored 35 organizations that helped in search and rescue operations of the victims on board the sunken MV St Thomas Aquinas.

However, no group or fishermen who first responded to the collision site and rescued victims were included among the awardees.

Governor Hilario Davide III said that they have no names of the fishermen. Some of them were present at the awarding ceremony at the Capitol though but did not receive any certificate of recognition.

Davide said that it is the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) which identified the group of responders.

“Ang essence gyud niini nga kato nitabang, ni-participate sa rescue and recovery operations, atong hatagan og recognition ba kay dili lalim nga you risk your life especially kato mga divers ug kato mga agencies nga nitabang ug other responders sa emergency angay lang gyud nga hatagan sila og recognition (The essence of this is to recognize those who participated in rescue and recovery operations because it is not easy to risk your life especially the divers and the agencies that helped respond to the emergency),” Davide said.

PDRRMO chief, Neil Angelo Sanchez, in his remark said that the “operation was sad but at the end a successful endeavor.”

Davide said that the incident gave lessons and made them united in helping in the search, rescue, retrieval and relief operations.

“Saludo gyud ko ninyong tanan (I salute all of you),” Davide said.

The groups awarded were the Philippine Red Cross in Cebu City and Lapulapu City chapters, Central Visayas Search and Rescue, Inc., Kabalikat Civicom, Accident Control and Emergency Rescue Team, 501st Air Force Rescue Command, Balamban Rescue and Philippine Coast Guard – District Central Eastern Visayas.

Also recognized were the Talisay Rescue and Emergency Assistance Team (TREAT), Rescue 160, Rescue 761, Cebu City DRRMO, Talisay City DRRMO, Central Command – Armed Forces of the Philippines, Regional Public Safety Batallion 7, Cebu City Bantay Dagat, Bureau of Fire Protection 7, Department of Health 7, Naval Forces Central and BFP-Talisay City.

The Provincial government also honored Sea Knights – Talisay City, PCG Auxiliary Central Visayas, MS Boat – Lapulapu City, All-Terrain Medical Relief Organization (AMRO), Recon Clare 7, Talisay City Aquanauts, Philippine National Police-Regional Crime Laboratory Office 7, Basak Pardo Eemrgency Respond (BPER) and Ang Labangon Emergency Response Team  (TEAM).

Other groups recognized include Cebuano Amateur Radio League (CARL), Rescue 5, Bantay Dagat-Medellin, Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation, Christian Bernard Adlawan, Rolando E. Malinaw and the PDRRMC-Capitol.

Davide added that the recognition ceremony also marked the formal ending of the diving operations.

“The diving operations has already terminated,” Davide said.—(FREEMAN)