Lamitan sea ambulance captains admired for performance
TIMRA Reports • 19:30 PM Sat Jul 13, 2019
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By:
John M. Unson
One of two sea ambulances of the Lamitan City local government unit. (John Unson)
LAMITAN CITY ---There are two lowly ambulance boat skippers here whose dedication to serve the poor are fascinating local residents.
Jumdail Andal and Peter Go, each operating a sea ambulance of the Lamitan City government, have ferried 254 sick people to Zamboanga City for medication in one voyage after another in the past 24 months even.
“They are on-duty round the clock. Even in most critical hours at nighttime and before dawn, they leave the docks for Zamboanga City to bring patients needing treatment in hospitals there,” Lamitan City Vice Mayor Roderick Furigay said Saturday.
The two speedboats handled each by Andal and Go are owned by the Lamitan local government unit.
Both stern drive units with fiberglass hulls are each powered by two 300-horsepower Mercury outboard engines.
For Andal and Go, what inspires them to work hard are the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) awards their city government thrice received from the central office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government in the past three years.
The yearly grant of an SGLG citation to a municipal, city or provincial governments is based on governance efficiency, sound handling of fiscal resources and recorded achievements on domestic peace and security initiatives.
Andal said as a Muslim, it is an obligation for him to serve the poor and needy regardless of religions and tribes.
“In Islam, saving the life of one person is already something like doing same to all of humanity,” he said in the Chavacano dialect.
He said many of those he brought to Zamboanga City for medication were Christians.
Barangay officials said Andal and Go have sailed through the seas separating Basilan and Zamboanga City even in rough weathers in keeping with their commitment to work as emergency boatmen.