Cebu province to shoulder hospitalization, burial expenses of Boljoon accident victims

CEBU CITY — The Cebu provincial government will provide financial assistance to the victims of the Boljoon accident involving teachers and students.

Calling the incident that claimed at least 9 lives a “tragedy, ” Governor Gwendolyn Garcia told reporters they would shoulder the hospitalization costs of the injured and the burial expenses of the fatalities.

“Immediately, I directed our provincial health officer, Dr. Christina Giango, to call the chief of hospital of the district hospitals where the injured and casualties were brought first, so they would be given immediate assistance,” the governor said. “We also coordinated with Vicente Sotto (Memorial Medical Center) in case some of the injured (who) will be brought there.”

She added that one of the injured was brought to Vicente Sotto while another was admitted in Chong Hua Hospital.

“For those who lost their lives, I have directed our social welfare office to extend all assistance to the families so we can help them during this time of grief,” Garcia said.

Read more: 9 killed after student-loaded dump truck falls off cliff in Boljoon

The governor also clarified that the provincial government recalled the ambulance assigned to Boljoon because it was deployed to the district hospital in Sogod, which had no ambulance. 

” We recall the ambulances in the towns because we are giving preference to our district hospitals,” Garcia added.

According to the governor, she would have wanted to provide ambulances to all municipalities.

However, because there were a limited number of ambulances available, Garcia said they have to give preference to the district hospitals and the provincial hospitals. 

The province operates four provincial hospitals and 12 district hospitals.

The governor said that the ambulances were mostly needed by the hospitals.

In the case of the tragic accident in Boljoon, the town is situated right next to Oslob where the Capitol-run Oslob District Hospital has an ambulance, according to the statement released by the Capitol.

“Immediately, the Province’s Oslob District Hospital attended to the medical needs of 11 patients, three of whom were taken to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC). There were five patients taken to the Capitol’s hospital in Argao for X-ray.”

Meanwhile, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWD) Acting Head Wilson Ramos said they called the VSMMC right away to prepare to attend to the three patients who were on the way to the tertiary medical facility.

Ramos said that the provincial government would give burial assistance to the families of the 11 who died on the spot.

Social workers will also be sent to attend to the families’ psychosocial needs.

“We made sure that all the immediate needs of the patients were well taken care of,” said Ramos.

Aside from the PSWDO, personnel from the Integrated Provincial Health Office headed by Dr. Giango were also mobilized to attend to the patients’ needs at the district hospitals./dbs