BORACAY – Some 200 lifeguards completed their training with the Philippine Coast Guard as part of preparations for the reopening of the tourist destination on Oct. 26.
These lifeguards are personnel of resorts and hotels near the beachfront, said Allan Victor dela Vega, a district commander at the Coast Guard Region 6.
“We want all resorts and hotels, especially those at the beachfront, to have qualified lifeguards,” he said.
The Coast Guards aims to detail two lifeguards for every resort and hotel.
Boracay’s temporary closure that started April 26 gave the Coast Guard a chance to audit the safety measures of accommodation establishments, especially those with swimming pools, said dela Vega.
Some of these establishments do not have any lifeguard at all. Others have but the lifeguards lacked training, he said.
The training course started on Aug. 6, with 25 to 30 trainees per week. It included 32 hours of water safety course, four hours of first-aid course and four hours of basic life support.
Those who complete the training course are presented with a certificate as a qualified lifeguard.
Swimmers who did not know techniques in safeguarding are prioritized in the training, followed by the newbies.
“They are swimmers. We just teach them the right technique and the right operation of rescue equipment,” said dela Vega. “The training is still ongoing.”
Aside from training lifeguards, dela Vega said they also planning to hold oil spill response and combat exercises.
In terms of rehabilitation efforts, 50 Coast Guard personnel with various specializations are helping the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force. One Coast Guard response vessel secures the island.
Dela Vega said they might detail more personnel and another response vessel before the reopening. (PNA)
