A boat in the waters of Cavite is known to many as the “wonder boat” and serves as an ambulance. It recently saved the life of a 79-year-old stroke patient in a neighbouring province.
The multi-purpose boat responds to emergency cases in the waters of Cavite and surrounding islands.
It’s fully equipped with supplies and equipment, and with its trained personnel it operates just like a land-based ambulance does.
The ambulance, with registered nurses Carmina Enriquez and Gian Paulo Esguerra and Barangay Isla de Bonita Chairman Nestor Llanoza and Coast Guard personnel on board, was used last Sunday in transporting grandmother, Consolacion Luna Valencia, a stroke victim, from Mariveles, Bataan, to Rosario town.
The move was made on orders of Mayor Jose “Nonong” Ricafrente, after his assistance was sought by Valencia’s children residing in Rosario’s Barangay Ligtong IV. Valencia suffered a stroke while on vacation at another child’s house in Mariveles, Bataan.
Municipal Affairs Coordinator Sid Luna Samaniego said the “wonder boat” was donated by the Department of Environment of Natural Resources (DENR) as a trash carrier to the local government last August 24 but locals converted it to a ambulance boat after talking with the DENR about their plans for the boat.
Capable of holding 20 people, the boat comes equipped with beds and equipment for medical emergencies.