Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito “Bonz” Dolor has welcomed the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s (PCSO) plan to deploy landing craft vehicles that will transport ambulances across bodies of water, improving emergency medical services in island communities.
In an interview with DZRH's The Situation Report on Tuesday, November 3, Dolor described the initiative as one of the PCSO’s most appreciated programs, particularly for the MIMAROPA region, where all five provinces are island provinces.
Dolor said the initiative addresses longstanding challenges in transporting patients and medical specimens between islands, recalling how the province had to rent speedboats to transport COVID-19 specimens to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
He also stressed that delays in sea travel could put patients’ lives at risk, especially those requiring immediate transfer to regional hospitals.
PCSO General Manager Melquiades “Mel” Robles explained that the landing craft vehicles would carry entire ambulances, allowing patients to remain inside the same vehicle throughout the transfer without having to move to another ambulance or boat.
The initiative aims to provide door-to-door patient transport, from homes or rural health units to larger hospitals, reducing risks and ensuring safer and more efficient medical transfers.
Robles said that with all municipalities now equipped with PCSO ambulances, the next priority is addressing transportation challenges faced by island communities.
