Banilad wins Mandaue basic rescue competition

CEBU, Philippines - Several barangays in Mandaue City showed their basic disaster response skills through a competition held yesterday at the City Hall grounds.

Seven participating barangays rivaled in the first Basic Life Support and Rescue competition at 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Eight members of each barangay showed how they can extinguish the fire and give aid to injured victims through proper protocols. The teams were composed of barangay tanods and barangay councilors.

Barangay Banilad, which bested the other participants, garnered 87.7 points. The winning barangay reaped P10,000 cash, trophy, rain boots, and medals for each of its members.

Banilad was led by barangay councilman Leo Saberon, chairman Barangay Risk Reduction Management Council.

Roger Paler, Mandaue's public information officer, quoted Saberon saying that Banilad plans to purchase rescue equipment using the money they won.

Barangay Subangdaku ranked second after it garnered 86 points. The barangay won P7,000 cash, trophy, medals, and rain boots.

Barangay Umapad took the third place and obtained 83.3 points. Its prizes included P5,000 cash, trophy, medals, and rain boots.

Aside from the cash and other prizes, Umapad was also awarded the Best in Uniform. They donned their newly finished orange rescue uniforms and won another P5,000.

The competition was judged by Councilman George Dicdiquin, head of the rescue team of Barangay Apas, Cebu City; Medardo Batiller, chief operating officer of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation; and, Senior Fire Officer 3 Henry Lagumbay of Mandaue's Bureau of Fire Protection.

Felix Suico, Jr., chief of Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said they will encourage more barangays to join the next Basic Life Support and Rescue competition.

He said only seven barangays joined in yesterday's competition as the other barangays were preoccupied for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings.

Suico said the barangay tanods of the non-participating barangays are part of the force multipliers for the APEC meetings.  (FREEMAN)