Japan donates emergency vehicles to Luzon, Mindanao

STRENGTHENING FAMILY TIES. Much like a dependable big brother, Japan extended assistance to the Philippines by donating a total of 76 emergency vehicles to 35 local government units (LGUs) in Luzon and Mindanao.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte witnessed the Japanese government’s turnover of 17 emergency vehicles during a ceremony at the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) Covered Court in Davao City on March 23, 2018.

The donation aims to improve the emergency response services of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), one of the agencies mandated to perform disaster response in the country.

According to the Japanese Embassy in Manila, the BFP lacks the sufficient amount of emergency vehicles at its fire stations.

“Through these projects, the government of Japan aims to assist the BFP in addressing this shortage,” the embassy said.

Equipping the BFP with emergency vehicles is only part of Japan’s bigger efforts to support the Philippines in improving its disaster risk reduction and management.

With locations along the Pacific Typhoon Belt and the Pacific Ring of Fire, both countries are highly exposed to natural hazards. That is why, more than the generous donations, the Philippine government is looking forward to its collaboration with Japan to beef up LGUs when it comes to emergency response, something the latter is renowned for.

These disaster preparedness projects are expected to benefit a total of 3 million people in Luzon and 6.6 million people in Mindanao.

In his remarks during a dinner he hosted for the Philippine President on November 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that President Duterte is like family. And what better way to show close family ties than by lending a hand to prepare for the worst?

via Manila Bulletin / Roy Mabasa