City councilor Herbert S. Dilig is lobbying for Puerto Princesa to have a hyperbaric chamber to ensure the safety of foreign and local divers against decompression sickness.
Dilig on Monday filed a resolution asking the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) to donate a hyperbaric chamber, also known as a decompression chamber.
He said having the facility will do away with the “riskiness and impracticality” of bringing patients to either Quezon City or Mandaue City, the only two facilities in the country.
Dilig’s resolution received overwhelming support from the City Council that voted unanimously to dispose of the 2nd and final readings to approve it immediately.
“The Council saw the need and the importance of having this equipment in our city and, with the unanimous support of all the Council members, save for Councilor Damasco who was not present at yesterday’s session but who would have probably joined the rest, dispensed with the 2nd and 3rd readings,” Dilig said.
He also pointed out that the province is classified as Level 1 or one of the premier diving sites in the country, making Puerto Princesa a strategic and critical drop-off point for divers in case of untoward incidents.
“Considering the distance and accessibility, it is necessary for Puerto Princesa City to acquire or obtain such facility,” Dilig said.
The hyperbaric chamber is a piece of equipment that reverses the effects of aeroembolism and decompression—emergent injuries common to divers. It also treats osteomyelitis; facilitates wound healing; and other various medical conditions.
