TWENTY-FOUR Bantay Dagat volunteers from the different cities and municipalities of Negros Occidental underwent a five-day training on Basic Life Support and Water Search and Rescue held at Buenos Aires Mountain Resort in Bago City from September 30 to October 4, 2019.
The trainees are from the cities of Himamaylan, Sipalay, Victorias and Escalante, and the municipalities of E.B. Magalona, Manapla and Calatrava, who are also boat operators and fisherfolks. They belong to the third batch of trainees.
The training program is a collaborative project of the Provincial Disaster and Management Program Division, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist and the Philippine Coast Guard.
Governor Bong Lacson said that people rely much on their local government units for emergency medical services, pre-hospital care and disaster response.
"For you to be able to save lives in water, discipline, skills, courage, and compassion are the most important qualifications of water search and rescue responders," he said.
He added that Bantay Dagat volunteers and patrol boat operators can count on the provincial government to give all the support they need because they are considered as local heroes.
To date, more than 60 Bantay Dagat volunteers have already graduated from the said training since last month. (PR)