FREELANCER: Saving Emergency Numbers, Opening on Weekends

Residents of Isabela town are lucky their municipal hall is open even on weekends.

Mayor Miguel Angelo Yulo is indeed making sure that his constituents can visit the municipal hall and his office, and still get assisted for their concerns such as medical, burial and other assistance, and concerns, even on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Isabela municipal hall is open from 8 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon on Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Sundays.

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Actually, even before 25-year-old Miguel Angelo became mayor, residents of Isabela were already enjoying easy access to assistance and services Monday to Sunday through the 5th District Congressional Office of Congressman Atty. Emilio Bernardino “Dino” Yulo, his father. The mayor used to be the office’s chief of staff.

The father and son tandem not only visited far-flung and hard-to-reach sitios to talk to people, election season or not. They were serving not only Isabela residents but also those from other areas under the 5th district – Hinigaran, Binalbagan, Himamaylan City, La Castellana, and Moises Padilla.

With the Yulos serving the people with an open house daily, even during holidays, district constituents are not only getting assistance but also gastronomically satisfied as they exit the congressional office compound.

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With Mayor Miguel Angelo at the helm of Isabela town, and Cong. Dino at the 5th district driver’s seat, residents are luckier, because in giving services and assistance, the father and the son may even try to outdo each other – to the benefit not only of Isabeleños.

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Save the numbers.

With 911 easy to remember, dialing it wherever we are in Negros Occidental with cellular signal can instantly connect us to authorities. Thanks to this laudable program of the provincial government, and the police.

Despite the quick-answering 911, there is still a need to know and save the emergency numbers not only in our locality but also of each city and town to get us connected to emergency responders and the police during distress, especially when traveling out of town.

Let us save the mobile and landline numbers of the police, fire, disaster risk reduction and management office, electricity distribution utility, and Red Cross of other cities and towns for quicker response when we are there.

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The usefulness of saving also the contact numbers of other cities and towns cannot be discounted.

For the nth time, I again experienced such necessity. The other day, I and a colleague were passing by Binalbagan and witnessed a man falling down from a cruising tricycle near the Mormon church several meters from the welcome rotunda.

Seeing the blooded man unable to stand up despite the trike driver’s help, I dialed the number of the Binalbagan Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. Getting busy tones for my two attempts, I dialed the Binalbagan PNP and reported it. To make sure, I redialed the LDRRMO number and when the man on the other end answered, he said the local police have just informed them and that an ambulance was on its way.

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Emergency numbers are lifelines that each must include in his phonebook for quick access in times of emergency.

On my part, I save those numbers in my mobiles, naming them starting with “Emer” then the first three or four letters of the city or town, example “Him” for Himamaylam, then “PNP” for police or Fire for fire station, or “EmerHimFire”. It’s so easy to find in the phonebook, with a single press making the connection.

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There’s a need to check from time to time if such numbers are still available to get updated of new ones.

I, however, believe that the police, the fire, DRRMO, Red Cross, DUs and other responders will avoid changing, as much as possible, their contact numbers.

In times of emergency, every second counts!* (APT)