A well-spent Valentine’s day.
In conjunction with the Valenzuela City's 26th Charter Day celebration, the Valenzuela City Government, led by the Valenzuela City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (VCDRRMO) and Department of Health (DOH), conducted an extensive hands-only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training at the ALERT Multi-purpose Hall, February 14.
The eventuated training was deemed successful as it was flocked by around 2,000 participants and representatives from the public and private sectors including personnel from the City Health Office (CHO), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine Heart Association (PHA), volunteers from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), and some officials from the Liga ng mga Barangay. In addition, students from Our Lady of Lourdes College (OLLC) and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela (PLV) have also joined the said training.
The goal of the CPR training is to provide employees from different sectors with a foundational understanding of first aid and rescue techniques. Apart from CPR training, participants are also given basic education on immediate response during emergencies.
Dr. Arnaldo Antonio, head of VCDRRMO, encouraged everyone to always participate in such training because it provides them additional knowledge in giving immediate response. He said, “Ito po ay isang activity ng DRRMO para pataasin natin ang ating kaalaman sa pagliligtas ng buhay. Kasi ang pagliligtas ng buhay ay hindi lang trabaho ng nasa gobyerno, ng nasa DOH, ng nasa ospital, tayo rin po bilang mga mamamayan at miyembro ng ating community ay meron tayong role na magligtas ng buhay. Ito po ay isang tsansa na maging bayani ang bawat isa.” [This is a DRRMO activity for us to increase our knowledge on saving lives. Because saving lives is not just the job of the government or the hospitals– we also as citizens and members of our community have a role to save lives. This is a chance for everyone to be a hero]
The conducted training was pursuant to the Republic Act 10871, also known as the “Basic Life Support Tin raining in Schools Act.” It is also dubbed the “Samboy Lim Act,” honoring the PBA Legend who collapsed during an exhibition game in Pasig in 2014. He was reportedly unconscious for 23 minutes before receiving medical intervention. As read in Section 3 of the act, “all public and private basic education schools operate nationwide to provide their students with basic life support training through the use of psychomotor training in an age-appropriate manner.” Furthermore, cited from the Administrative Order (AO) 155 s. 2004, it states that “The Basic Life Support (BLS) Training is mandatory to all health workers.”
This is one of Valenzuela City’s come-up solutions to mold equipped staff and serve as force multipliers in times of need. Furthermore, the local government has been on the mission of producing emergency-prepared employees since Valenzuela has always been a disaster-prone community.
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