CH aid for ERUF delayed

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government has not yet given its P5 million subsidy for the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation this year.

Dr. Jesus Ravanes, ERUF Board of Trustee, said the subsidy is supposed to be given every quarter.  So far, only the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu have released funds for ERUF, Ravanes added.

“As far as I know, our subsidy is in the Office of the Mayor pending his signature,” Ravanes said.

Despite the lack of funds, however, ERUF vowed to continue its service to the people in metro Cebu.

“We will still respond to alarms hoping that sooner or later we will receive the budget but as of this time, we utilize our resources,” Ravanes said.

The subsidies that ERUF get from the local government units are used in trainings and seminars as well as in the procurement of equipment.

 As of now, ERUF has at least 100 trained personnel capable of responding to any emergencies including plane crash.

 “They are well-trained and some of them are even trained in Netherlands and we have complete equipments we even have our own divers…we also have our own legal counsel to protect our personnel,” said Ravanes.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines- Engineering Division has tapped ERUF’s expertise to further enhance its capabilities in disaster response.

As frontliners during calamities AFP sees the need to have well-trained personnel. Undersecretary Emmanuel Bautista, executive director of the Cabinet Cluster on Security, Justice, and Peace, said they support the program because it is beneficial to all especially that the country is prone to typhoon.

    “We will support them kasi ‘yung AFP they respond in areas where there are clearing operations or evacuations na gagawin,” Bautista said.

Director Romeo Fajardo, Office of the Civil Defense deputy administrator, welcomed the joint seminar workshop of the AFP and ERUF.

Fajardo admitted that the OCD lacks the personnel and equipment to respond calamities.

 “We lack the equipments but with this session, AFP can request for greater capability like the helicopter or the trucks but they should also be trained in responding…the same training that the ERUF has,” Fajardo said. (FREEMAN)