On Tuesday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. took part in an important event in Cagayan de Oro City, Northern Mindanao. He led the distribution of special vehicles called Patient Transport Vehicles (PTVs), which help transport patients to hospitals safely and quickly.
Last year, President Marcos made a promise to make sure that every province in the Philippines would receive these patient transport vehicles. Now, that promise is being kept! So far, the government has given out 291 PTVs across the country.
On this day, 91 more PTVs were handed out. Out of these, 85 were given to local governments in Northern Mindanao, and 6 were given to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
This is part of a bigger plan to improve the country’s health and emergency response system. The government has set aside P2.2 billion to buy 1,000 ambulances and other medical transport vehicles. These vehicles will help the country be more ready when there are natural disasters or emergencies.
The PTVs are not just any vehicles. They come with special equipment, such as stretchers, oxygen tanks, and blood pressure monitors. This equipment ensures that patients can be transported in the safest and quickest way possible.
The donation of these vehicles is part of a program called the Medical Transport Vehicle Donation Program (MTVDP), run by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). Local government units (LGUs) and hospitals receive the vehicles to help improve medical services in their areas.
President Marcos said that these PTVs are a way to show that the government is serious about its promise to improve healthcare and emergency services for everyone in the Philippines.
