PAGUDPUD, May 17 -- This town finally has its own sea ambulance for faster assistance during emergencies and calamities.

Funded under the Department of Health's (DOH) Health Facilities Enhancement Program, the ambulance is equipped with a stretcher, automatic external defibrillator, nebulizer, portable suction machines, oxygen cylinder, and other accessories.

"There have been cases of drowning incidents in Pagudpud. This will speed up rescue operations and save lives," said Rose Salvador, a resident of Barangay Saud, on Friday.

The ambulance was turned over Thursday while the local government units of Pasuquin and Laoag received one unit each earlier in the week.

In a statement Friday, Pagudpud mayor Rafael Ralph Benemerito thanked th...