ILOILO CITY, Philippines—The inventor of an unsinkable rescue boat had the same experience as many Filipino inventors: Almost nobody showed interest in acquiring his invention.

Mariano Griño, a retired division chief at the National Economic and Development Authority in Western Visayas (NEDA-6) and reservist of the Regional Community Defense Center, could not produce another unit of the unsinkable rescue boat because he did not receive any order after the Agusan provincial government bought his prototype.

"I don't have much capital and I cannot produce without orders," 62-year-old Griño said in telephone interview Wednesday.

Drawing on his experience of rubber boats that could no longer be used after getting punctured, Griño had built the unsinkable rescue boat prototype in the backyard of his house in Jaro District using imported and locally made materials.

Measuring 14 feet long, six feet wide and three feet tall, the boat's body is filled with lightweight polystyrene (styrofoam) insulated in marine epoxy composite. Its body frame is made of plywood and has a skid plate made of aluminum to protect it from hard and pointed objects.

The boat is already buoyant on seven to eight inches of water and can accommodate 12 people. It can be repaired in just a few hours.

Griño's boat, which includes a 40-horsepower engine, is also cheaper, costing around P600,000, compared to most inflatable rubber boats that cost about P700,000 and higher.

Aside from an outboard engine, the boat is provided with a trailer for easy transport to disaster areas. It is also equipped with four paddles, a grappling hook/anchor to maintain stability while picking up victims and a lifesaver.

Despite the absence of orders for his unsinkable boat, Griño has not stopped working on innovations that could help save lives during disasters.

He has designed an "unsinkable life vest" made of styrofoam and ballistic nylon, which costs around P350, cheaper than commercially sold lifejackets.

Griño's latest innovation is a lifebuoy, a ring-shaped life preserver, made of styrofoam and fiberglass cloth that can accommodate up to four adult persons.

Meanwhile, Griño lamented that a year after massive flooding brought by typhoon "Frank" ravaged Western Visayas, disaster response and preparedness has not improved due to lack of equipment.

"We could save more lives and will respond better if we have the right equipment like unsinkable rescue boats, life jackets and lifebuoys," Griño told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

During typhoon "Frank" that triggered the worst flooding in the region, thousands of people needed to be rescued on tree branches and on rooftops after floodwaters covered subdivisions and communities.

Just like what happened recently in Metro Manila, in nearby provinces and in southern and northern Luzon during tropical storms Ondoy and Pepeng, the number of victims to be rescued and the lack of rescue boats that could safely reach streets and houses also overwhelmed rescuers in Iloilo.