SBMA Chairman Garcia (left) inks an agreement with EnerZone Subic AVP and General Manager Sario for the Adopt-an-Ambulance program. Witnessing the signing are Dr. Solomon Jacalne, head of the SBMA Public Health and Safety Group (standing left), and Edgar M. Caluza, administrative manager of EnerZone Subic.
PHOTO BY MALOU DUNGOG
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT— Subic EnerZone Corporation (SEZ), the power provider in this freeport, adopted anew all ambulances of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) as part of its corporate social responsibility program and added a 25 per cent increase to the maintenance allocation for the vehicles.
SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia and SEZ Assistant VP and General Manager Warell Kern Sario, representing SEZ Senior VP and COO Dante Pollescas, signed the memorandum of agreement for the firm’s “adopt-an-ambulance” program.
The SEZ-SBMA cooperation project started in 2007, with the donor allocating P100,000 annually for the maintenance of the eight ambulances of the SBMA. This year, however, the allocation was increased by 25 percent to P125,000.
Garcia described the “adoption” as a clear manifestation of how effective the public- private partnership program works, where a private corporation cooperates or assists a government agency in the implementation of a program that benefits the general public.
“Our ambulances are an integral part of the Freeport’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program,” Garcia said.
He explained further that with the EMS, the SBMA is able to deploy a medical emergency reaction team at any given emergency situation, to any place within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and, if needed, to nearby towns and provinces.
EMS is a component of the SBMA Emergency Rescue Group, which is composed of personnel and logistical support units from the SBMA Health and Safety Group. Other members included personnel from the agency’s fire and law enforcement departments.
For SEZ, the program fulfils the company’s CSR thrust, which is designed to benefit the entire Subic Bay Freeport community. “We believe in the primary responsibility of the SBMA EMS, and how important these ambulances are to be available anytime they are needed,” Sario said.
He added that the P125,000 will help fasttrack the purchase of needed spare parts for the vehicles to ensure the reliability of service at all times.
