By Perla Lena/PNA
ILOILO CITY — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Iloilo City government on Thursday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at boosting their disaster capability, particularly on the response time of the former during emergencies.
Commodore Allan Victor T. Dela Vega, commander of the Coast Guard District Western Visayas (CGDWV), in an interview said the city government will fund the construction of a PHP1-million slipway/boat ramp project at the Coast Guard base in Bo. Obrero, Lapuz district.
“The objective for constructing this is so that the response unit can respond faster, improving the timeliness of response whenever rescue at sea is needed. Strategically the Coast Guard base in Lapuz is along the seaside,” he said.
The project particularly seeks to strengthen emergency response in coastal barangays of Bo. Obrero, Hinactacan and Ingore.
The MOU cited that people in the said villages are “vulnerable to accidents, notwithstanding their vulnerability to storm surges during typhoons”.
From 2015 to 2017, there were 21 cases of drowning and 17 incidents of boat capsizing were also recorded.
He said that currently, rescue boats of the PCG are launched from the Iloilo Fish Port Complex in Tanza. Thus, it would take hours to respond during emergency cases.
“With this, the deployment of small boats and rescue units will be faster,” he said, in reference to the proposed project.
“It is beside the river, so it will have access to different areas in Iloilo City, especially when there is flooding in some areas in the city,” he added. The Coast Guard base in Bo. Obrero is just across the Iloilo City Mall Ferry Terminal and the province of Guimaras.
The PCG base can also provide a storage area for rescue boats of the city government and other emergency responders.
PCG right now has four smaller boats and four big vessels that can be utilized for Iloilo and Guimaras.
Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III, who signed the MOU on behalf of the city government, said that the provision of the slipway/boat ramp project is just one of the many supports that will be provided by the local government to the PCG.
He said that the city government will provide a vehicle to the PCG to strengthen its campaign against illegal drugs, citing reports that the illegal drugs are being transported to Iloilo through airport and ports.
“The city is committed to help the Coast Guard’s mobility, especially for the K-9 units so that they can guard our shores,” the mayor said.
The acquisition of the vehicle is now being processed, he added.
