TO promote safety, the Cebu City Council is asking the Department of Tourism, Department of Labor and Employment and the Hotel, Resort, and Restaurant Association to check all public swimming pools and make sure that their lifeguards are certified and trained for the job.

In an approved resolution, Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera said that around 1,000 drowning incidents involving children 14 years old and younger are reported each year.

Another 16,000 patients are rushed to the hospital for near-drowning incidents.

Pesquera said drowning is the leading cause of unintentional deaths in the world.

Because of this, there is a need to check the compliance of those who operate swimming pools, she said.

City Ordinance 2335 also provides that all those who own, manage, use or operate a swimming pool in the city, which is for commercial or public use, must have at least two lifeguards poolside regardless of pool type, size, and use.

The ordinance also requires resorts to provide a sufficient number of well-trained lifeguards accredited by the Philippine National Red Cross or any accredited institutions. (RVC)