ILOILO CITY — Some 200 lifeguards on Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan have completed their training with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) as part of preparations for the tourist destination’s reopening on October 26.
The lifeguards are personnel of resorts and hotels near the island’s long White beachfront, said Capt. Allan Victor dela Vega, district commander of PCG 6 (Western Visayas), in an interview Tuesday.
“We want all the resort owners and hotels to be responsible to have qualified lifeguards,” he said. “The mere fact that they are operating resorts and they are at the beachfront, they should share in providing qualified lifeguards.”
The PCG is eyeing two lifeguards for each resort and hotel.
Dela Vega said the island’s closure since April 26 for rehabilitation has provided them the opportunity to audit the safety measures of the resorts and hotels, especially establishments with swimming pools.
He said the resorts and hotels have lifeguards but they lack training, while other establishments do not even have qualified ones.
The training course, which began last Aug. 6 with 25 to 30 trainees per week, includes 32 hours of water safety course, four hours of first aid course, and four hours of basic life support, dela Vega said.
Those who have completed the training course were presented by the PCG with a certificate as qualified lifeguard.
Dela Vega said they prioritized the training of swimmers who lack techniques on safeguarding, followed by the newbies.
“We accept that they are swimmers. We just teach them the right technique and the right operation of rescue equipment,” he said. “The training is still ongoing so that by the opening, all the resorts and hotels on the island would have qualified lifeguards.”
Aside from training lifeguards, dela Vega said they are also planning to conduct oil spill response and combat exercise before the island’s reopening.
“This is to strengthen our defense and protection in case an oil spill happens in the area,” he said.
A total of 50 Coast Guard personnel with different specializations are helping in the rehabilitation efforts of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force. One response vessel is also securing the island.
Dela Vega said that they may add more personnel and another response vessel before the reopening. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
