ILOILO – Four towns in this province got P2 million each from the provincial government to purchase their respective rescue boat.
These are Estancia, Pavia, Tigbauan, and Leganes.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. led the turnover of checks on Monday, March 27, to Estancia mayor Mary Lynn Mosqueda, Pavia mayor Luigi Gorriceta, Tigbauan mayor Virgilio Teruel, and Leganes mayor Vicente Jaen II.
Pavia, a landlocked town, was included as a recipient of rescue boats because of the usual occurrence of floods during stormy weather. The huge Aganan River traverses the municipality and overflows during heavy rains.
Defensor said the rescue boats could also be used by the coastal municipalities of Estancia, Tigbauan and Leganes in their coastal resource initiatives.
In 2022, the provincial government distributed P2 million each to the towns of Sara, Dingle, Guimbal, Batad, Miag-ao, San Dionisio, Ajuy, Banate, Lambunao, Balasan, Zarraga, Mina, Lemery, Maasin, Calinog, and Duenas.
Dr. Jerry Bionat, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said rescue boats to be purchased by local government units (LGUs) will be used in emergency response.
“Kon may emergency didto parehas abi kon may binaha or na-alangan, amo ni sila ang ma-respond or mahakot. Indi ni sila manghakot sang bilog nga barangay, rather pang-emergency lang sia,” said Bionat.
The provincial government also turned over P1 million each to eight LGUs – Guimbal, Batad, Sara, Passi City, Leon, Lambunao, Alimodian, and New Lucena – for the procurement of other rescue equipment.
The rescue boats and other equipment will be supplemented by designated sustainable operations hubs in the province.
As of now, four towns have been given funds to establish the disaster resilience operations hubs – Miag-ao, Banate, Estancia, and Carles./PN
