DAUIN, Negros Oriental (PIA) – The province of Negros Oriental is boosting its capability to respond to dive-related emergencies with the establishment of a hyperbaric chamber in this town.
The hyperbaric chamber will be built in District 1 in Brgy. Poblacion.
Department of Tourism Sec. Christina Garcia-Frasco led the groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 3.
Frasco said this is part of the national government’s tourism infrastructure investments in Negros Oriental to support the dive industry here and elevate the dive safety measures of the province.
Dauin town is home to Apo Island, a world-renowned dive site due to its beautiful corals and sightings of two species of pawikan, which are the green turtle and the hawksbill turtle.
With the hyperbaric chamber in the town, divers experiencing decompression sickness will no longer have to be brought to Cebu for treatment.
Frasco also stressed that when the government invests in the safety of a destination, increased tourist activities will follow.
“It is very important for us to invest in the sustainability of the dive industry and in the safety of our tourists and our divers. With the groundbreaking of the hyperbaric chamber for Dauin, we foresee that the marketability and attractiveness of Dauin, its neighboring dive sites, and the entire province of Negros Oriental will only increase,” Frasco said.
“Sa pag-angat sa kalidad sa diver safety ug dive tourism, mas molambo pa ang turismo, mas modaghan pa ang panginabuhi sa atong mga kaigsuonan Filipino,” she added.
(As we enhance our standards for diver safety and dive tourism, the tourism industry will grow. It will generate more livelihood to our fellow Filipinos.)
The P80-M project is funded by the Tourism Infrastructure and Investment Zone Authority (TIEZA).
The TIEZA board also approved a separate budget for personnel and operations of the hyperbaric chamber.
TIEZA Assistant Chief Operations Officer Jetro Lozada said the equipment procured from Germany is already in Manila and will be shipped to Negros Oriental once the construction of the facility is completed.
“What we’re putting here in Dauin is a bigger unit that can accommodate six people at one time,” Lozada said.
The facility is seen to be operational in three months’ time.
Meanwhile, Negros Oriental Divers Association (NORDA) President Glen Carballo said the establishment of a hyperbaric chamber is an advantage to the province.
“Para sa mga diver dako kaayo ni na tabang. Within the Visayas region, usa ra gud ang chamber nato dire which is sa Cebu ra man. Now that we have a chamber in Dauin, we can probably service more dive incidents, probably mga diver from Moalboal, Sipalay. Dal-on na sila dire sa Dauin, it will become a center or a hub,” Carballo said.
(This is a big help for divers. We only have one hyperbaric chamber in the Visayas and it is in Cebu. Now that we have a chamber in Dauin, probably we can service more dive incidents. Divers from Moalboal or Sipalay will be brought here in Dauin. This will become a center or a hub.)
Moalboal is a diving site in southern Cebu, while Sipalay is in the neighboring province of Negros Occidental. (RAL/PIA7-Negros Oriental)
