AN OFFICIAL of the local chapter of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) announced they are expanding the chapter’s reach of its service to better serve the residents of Zamboanga City.
PRC-Zamboanga Chapter Administrator Joseline Fernandez said they will open another PRC unit this year in the city.
Fernandez said the new PRC unit will be situated inside the area of the Zamboanga Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Zamboecozone) to serve the residents in the west coast of the city.
Fernandez said the opening of the additional PRC unit is timely to cope with the increasing population and traffic situation, which affects the response time to emergencies.
Zamboanga City, a highly urbanized city consisting of 98 villages, has a total population of 861,799 as of the 2015 census making it as the sixth most populous and third largest city by land area in the Philippines.
Fernandez said the additional PRC unit will enable them to serve the populace of the entire city.
The opening of the PRC unit at the Zamboecozone area is the second in less than a month after it opened a PRC unit in the village of Mercedes to serve the residence in the east coast of this city.
Fernandez said that each of the PRC unit is equipped with an ambulance and corresponding personnel.
The PRC-Zamboanga City chapter will have a total of three PRC units in the city once the unit in the Zamboanga Ecozone area is opened.
The two existing PRC units are located in the village of Mercedes and along Rizal Street in the village Zone IV that serves the residents in the central part of the city. (SunStar Philippines)