Rep. Carlos Roman Uybarreta noted that 14 drowning incidents were recorded by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) during the Holy Week break last April in different resort destinations.
A Philippine lawmaker has urged the Department of Tourism (DOT), local government units (LGUs) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to strictly impose rules and regulations on the safety operations of all beach hotels and resorts to ensure the safety of the tourists.
Rep. Carlos Roman Uybarreta noted that 14 drowning incidents were recorded by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) during the Holy Week break last April in different resort destinations.
“Aside from safety measures, hotels and resorts should always have a lifeguard on duty as they serve as the first responders in unfortunate incidents at the beach,” he said.
He noted that in 1992, DOT enacted the Hotel Code, which spelled out rules and regulations governing the accreditation of hotels and other accommodation establishments.
In 2014, Uybaretta said the PCG also released an agency memorandum on guidelines for safety and security requirements of coastal and beach resorts and vessel pool facilities including qualifications and requirements of lifeguards for the promotion of safety of life at sea.
“The memorandum circular mandates all coastal and beach resorts to provide services and sufficient number of lifeguards that is duly trained and certified by the accredited organization by the PCG, ” he said.
The memorandum also instructs all beach resorts to provide services of a physician, either on-call or on full-time basis depending on their volume of operation and accessibility to hospital or medical centers. It also requires the presence of first-aiders who have completed a course on first aid duly certified by the Philippine Red Cross or other PCG-accredited organization.
“Unfortunate incidents in beach resorts could be avoided with the strict implementation of such provisions which were put in place for safety measures, ” Uybaretta said.
“Without further action in response to this neglect, the country’s tourism industry may suffer and decline,” he said.