Cebu Province is moving to acquire two additional sea ambulances within the year after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) cleared the provincial government to proceed with the procurement.
Provincial Administrator Ace Durano said the bidding process has already reached the post-bid stage and that the province is completing the remaining requirements.
“The bidding is ongoing. Proseso man gud na siya, na post-bid na ni siya, na publish; so we’re just waiting for the compliance of the required periods,” Durano said.
The province remains on track to complete the acquisition within the year, subject to the remaining procurement procedures.
“Katong giingon nga within the year, mao gud na ang target nato. So sa procurement process is really running already,” he said.
The DILG clearance removes a requirement that had delayed the proposed purchase of the two vessels.
The provincial government plans to use the sea ambulances to improve emergency medical transport for island communities, particularly Bantayan and Camotes, where patients needing emergency or specialized care may have to travel by sea to reach hospitals on mainland Cebu.
The project is being implemented through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
The additional vessels are expected to expand the province’s capacity to transport patients and other emergency cases from communities that face longer travel times because of their location and dependence on sea transportation.
The planned acquisition follows the Capitol’s introduction of its first sea ambulance in October 2025 as part of efforts to strengthen emergency response in Cebu’s island municipalities.
The first vessel was presented as a means of providing faster transportation for patients and victims from remote and island communities to medical facilities.
The province has yet to complete the remaining procurement steps before the two additional vessels can be formally acquired and deployed.
The current procurement also follows public scrutiny of an earlier sea ambulance presented by the provincial government.
In December 2025, Byron Garcia filed an administrative complaint against Gov. Pamela Baricuatro over statements concerning a sea ambulance that had initially been presented in a social media post as having been purchased by the provincial government.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan later clarified during a session that the vessel had only been lent temporarily and had not been purchased or formally rented by the province.
Baricuatro subsequently clarified that the vessel was a prototype being tested while the provincial government awaited approval for formal procurement.
Photo courtesy of Cebu Province
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