Lapu-Lapu City to train technical divers

THE Lapu-Lapu City Government will spend P2 million to form a team of technical divers.

Andy Berame, deputy action officer of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), said the amount will cover training and diving equipment.

Berame, in a press conference yesterday, said technical divers will be part of the Disaster Action Response Team, which the City hopes to form by October.

“We are now in the recruitment process,” he said.

The CDRRMO is recruiting City Hall employees to be part of the action team.

Members will undergo first-aid training, basic disaster management course, water safety and rescue course, basic ambulance and vehicle operations, among others.

Berame said the City needs technical divers, who can dive deeper than 18 meters, because the city is surrounded by sea.

Practical need

He said the plane crash in Masbate, which killed Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo highlighted the need to train technical divers.

If Lapu-Lapu encounters a similar incident, the City can immediately dispatch technical divers, Berame said.

Forming an action team is part of the City’s disaster and risk reduction management plan.

Once formed, the team will coordinate with existing response teams, such as the Emergency Response Unit Foundation (Eruf) and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).

“The action will not compete with the existing response units,” Berame said.

He said they cannot just rely on the Eruf and PRC because the city is getting more urbanized.

The action team is open to regular, casual and job-order employees, who are at least 21 years old but not older than 40.

Applicants will be screened, as they will only accept 24 members. Training of the members will be done after office hours.

Berame said the members will not receive additional pay because they are volunteers, but they will gain knowledge and experience.