LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads the distribution of 69 ambulances or Patient Transport Vehicles (PTV) to local government units across Ilocos region under the Medical Transport Vehicle Donation Program of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Sept. 11.
In Ilocos Norte, a total of 12 LGUs received PTVs, 17 LGUs in Ilocos Sur, eight in La Union, and 32 LGUs in Pangasinan.
Each vehicle, priced at around ₱2.12 million, is equipped with essential medical tools such as a stretcher, oxygen tank, blood pressure monitor, and wheelchair.
PCSO General Manager Mel Robles said they aim to give PTVs to every municipality and city in the country before the end of the term of President Marcos Jr. to ensure the provide timely medical intervention through transportation.
“Our tagline- Panata sa Bayan, Biyaya sa Mamamayan. This is our promise in the PCSO. Kapag maganda pa ang aming collection, we can do a second round. Looking forward, we’re also looking into giving not only ambulances on the road, but we’re also contemplating to give sea ambulances to assist those who live in islands in far-flung communities,” he said.
During the ceremonial turnover, the local chief executives expressed their gratitude to the national government and PCSO for the PTVs they received to speed up delivery of healthcare services to their constituents.
Mayor Albert Chua of Batac City in Ilocos Norte said the additional ambulance will be used by his constituents for free.
“We make things possible to our constituents in need of medical transport by lending the use of our ambulances without any rental or fees. We give free ambulance services to those who need it, even our constituents who want to go to or from hospitals outside our city or province. So, this distribution is very timely for us,” he said.
Moreover, Mayor Ray Olaydo II of San Esteban, Ilocos Sur expressed his gratitude to President Marcos Jr. for the vehicle.
“Being a fifth-class municipality, we rarely afford these types of vehicles so this is a good addition to our healthcare. All our 10 barangays will benefit from this project,” he said.
Mayor Mario Sugaban of Suyo in Ilocos Sur said this is a long-awaited assistance for their town.
“This vehicle will be of great help to us in Suyo because a lot of our constituents are in more mountainous areas to help us have quicker transport in case of health emergencies,” he said.
“Thank you very much to our President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., and of course to the PCSO. Thank you for our patient transport vehicle. This is a great help to our countrymen,” Mayor Divina Fontanilla of Bacnotan in La Union said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Florence Tiu of San Quintin in Pangasinan said she is confident that this will benefit the town’s healthcare access especially in their rural health unit (RHU).
“This is a great help for us in helping our constituents in medical services, especially in our RHU. This is our fourth ambulance,” she said. (MJTAB/EJFG, PIA Ilocos Norte)
