QC eyes 142 'rescue bancas'

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City government said it is set to procure 142 “bancas” fully equipped with modern lifesaving equipment to help beef up the city government’s capability to respond during floods.

Mayor Herbert Bautista said aside from the rubber boats the city government procured after typhoon “Ondoy” wreaked havoc in 2009, the city should have bancas for its rescue and relief operations.

“The banca, which is slim in size and more durable than rubber boats, is a more dependable means of transportation during floods. More flood-trapped victims could be rescued with the use of bancas because these light craft could penetrate difficult-to-reach areas,” he said.

The city’s 142 barangays, including those that are not flood-prone, will be given a banca that could be utilized as augmentation vehicles of adjacent flood-prone barangays.

Elmo San Diego, city public order and security chief, said the city government has already procured four bancas that the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council could use.

Bautista wanted the 142 bancas be made and supplied by a Quezon City-based company.

Earlier, the city government had acquired a rescue van that is now on standby and ready for emergency operations in times of calamities – whether natural or man-made.

The special rescue van, equipped with a hydraulic boom, can be used for high-angle rescue because it can reach the top floor of a five-story building. The van may also be utilized for collapsed structures and in rescuing those trapped in manholes.