INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Equipped with only seven rubber boats and three trucks, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) teams have rescued some 3,000 flood victims, said Lt. Armand Balilo.
The PCG spokesperson said 16 to 18 teams, each composed of up to 12 personnel, had been deployed the past three days in flooded areas in Metro Manila, Bulacan and Pampanga.
Balilo expressed confidence that “things will be a lot better” with the PCG’s acquisition in six months to one year of over P521 million worth of rescue equipment.
They include more than 430 units of brand-new aluminum V-shaped hull, rigid hull and rubber boats and six jet skis, as well as 3,448 life vests, 431 megaphones, 862 VHF handheld Marines-type radios, and 1,724 flares.
The PCG, which employs 542 officers and 5,272 enlisted personnel, is recruiting an additional 900 men and women this year, according to Balilo.
Under its 15-year development program, the PCG plans to “reach a troop ceiling of 25,000 officers and enlisted personnel by 2020.” Jerry E. Esplanada