• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya has instructed the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) to summon and evaluate all barangay emergency medical services (EMS) teams following a controversial rescue operation in Barangay Sum-ag.
The directive came after a viral social media video showed responders handling an injured motorcycle rider during a fatal vehicular accident on Araneta Street on Sunday, May 31.
Reports confirmed that the patient was pronounced dead on arrival.
Gasataya said the improper handling of the patient was visible in the footage, noting that the manner of response was not precise.
He added that Barangay Sum-ag has no ambulance of its own, so the city government had deployed one of its units for the area to use.
The mayor ordered CDRRMO Head Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan to call all barangay EMS teams to check if their active personnel have undergone proper training.
Gasataya said that the city is taking proactive steps to ensure all emergency teams are qualified.
If a barangay lacks trained personnel, the city government plans to temporarily deploy qualified staff to those areas.
Gasataya added that they have already been conducting emergency preparedness training sessions across various department offices, ensuring each office has five trained personnel for emergencies.*
