Thursday, December 21, 2006 European firm sets up rescue service based in Cebu
THE Filipinos’ baya-nihan culture and nurturing attitude has led a European company that specializes in emergency response services to set up its base for Southeast Asia in Cebu.
“Filipinos are known for their volunteerism and caring attitude all over the world that is why overseas Filipino workers are highly respected abroad. So, it only makes sense to put up a team here,” Blake Emergency Services (BES) director for Far East operations Jeffrey Chancellor said.
He said BES is positioning Cebu as a hub for emergency response services in Asia because of its strategic location.
Chancellor told a press conference last Tuesday that BES plans to establish its headquarters in Nivel Hills, near the Pacific Center for Advanced Studies, a mortuary school run by Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapels Inc. (CMCI).
He said the company is now accepting qualified applicants who will compose the 700-member emergency response team for Southeast Asia.
BES has been screening applicants all over the country for six months now, and Chancellor is optimistic they will soon reach the target number because most Filipinos have met the company’s criteria.
“Apart from the caring attitude, Filipinos are fluent in English compared to other Asian countries, (and that is) a huge advantage,” he said.
According to Chancellor, Filipinos working in funeral parlors, law enforcement personnel and other allied health professionals are “ideal” for the team who will be tasked to respond to multiple fatality disasters in Southeast Asia.
“While most Filipinos don’t talk about death, these people are already trained to handle death-related situations,” he said.
Apart from recovery and rescue operations, the company is tasked to recover the victim’s personal belongings.
BES will set up a call center to answer queries from relatives and interested parties.
However, Chancellor said that unlike most volunteer groups, BES is a business so its services will have corresponding charges.
BES, has been operating in Europe for 30 years, serving global companies in recovery operations during disasters. Its clients include airlines, shipping firms, hotels and tour companies, among others.
Meanwhile Philippine Mortuary Association (PMA) president Renato Dychangco, who also owns CMCI, said the association will help BES tap its members who are “experts” in death care services.
PMA, a group of mortuary operators in the Philippines, aims for the professionalism of funeral services in the country. (MMM)
