The Philippine Red Cross recently inaugurated its largest regional
logistics and training facility in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
The hub will strengthen the capacity of its chapters nationwide to
assist and respond to emergencies caused by natural and man-made
disasters.
The center, located a 1.6- hectare property donated by the Subic Bay
Metropolitan Authority, houses a function hall-cum Convention Center, which can
accommodate a maximum of 250 people and can be converted into a warehouse or
two more training areas, two dormitory buildings, two classrooms and a mess
hall.
Dr. Gwendolyn Pang, PRC Secretary-General, said the new facility will
also be used to offer various courses for volunteers and humanitarian workers
to upgrade their capacities and strengthen community resilience.
“This facility serves as a hub
for logistics support in local and international disaster response. We will
preposition relief supplies here, both food and non-food items; also our
equipment and our vehicles, such as water tanker, pay loader, ambulances, fire
trucks and others, to facilitate prompt and efficient deployment in case of
disasters, emergencies or mass casualty incidents,” PRC Chairman Richard J.
Gordon said.
The new facility will serve as the operations hub of the Red Cross for
Luzon and other parts of the country for providing humanitarian aid, with its
strategic location, as it is 130 kilometers north of Manila and is accessible
by land via the North Luzon Expressway and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway;
by air via the Subic Bay International Airport; and by sea through the Port of
Subic.
Expansion plans are also on tap for this mega-facility, which aims to
serve 15,000 people at any given time.
“The facility will soon have a
hotel and a trade school, the construction of the latter to be supported by the
Royal Charity Organization of Bahrain thru the Bahrain Red Cross,” Gordon
said.
The PRC Chairman thanked the members of the delegation sent to help
victims of the earthquake in Nepal: “The Philippine Red Cross is the only
humanitarian organization in Nepal that has complete facilities. Our feat has
created a lasting impact on the international community.”
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