The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with five major hospitals in the city to ensure swift service and emergency response to mass casualties and disasters.
PRC chairman Richard Gordon and Gatchalian, a PRC governor, forged the agreement which also calls for the establishment of welfare desks that will provide psychosocial support and restore family links  to facilitate communication with family members of victims.
Signing the MoA with PRC were Dr. Rolando Tecson, Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital director; Dr. Ferdinand Calalang, Calalang General Hospital president and medical director; Dr. Serafin David Serapio, Sanctissimo Rosario General Hospital medical director; Dr. Annie Joyce Alagano, K.C. Calderon Hospital medical director; and Dr. Vicente Santos Jr., Fatima University Medical Center president and medical director.
Also signing as witnesses were PRC City Chapter chairman Elizabeth Chongco and PRC secretarygeneral, Gwendolyn Pang, said Ahna Mejia, city public information officer.
With the MoA signed, triage and other emergency response services to victims of mass-casualty incidents (MCIs) and disasters will be ready in no time at the five partner hospitals. Gatchalian said.
The mayor said the pact would boost emergency response in the city and stipulates the conduct of trainings and mutual sharing of knowledge on emergency responses.
Gordon cited the Earthquake Impact Reduction Study for Metropolitan Manila report of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Based on the damage estimation at the worst case scenario with the potential rupture of the West Valley Faults, approximately 170,000 residential houses will collapse, 340,000 residential houses will be partly damaged, 34,000 persons will die and 114,000 persons will be injured in the metropolis.
Fire will also breakout and burn approximately 1,710 hectares and 18,000 more persons will be killed by this secondary disaster, the PRC chairman said.
Cognizant of the study, Gatchalian, also League of the Cities of the Philippines vice president for the national capital region, has strengthened the city’s disaster risk reduction program.