BACOLOD CITY - The Sipalay Emergency Assistance and Rescue Services (SEARS) in Negros Occidental was lauded for crossing two rivers to rescue a patient who was suffering from dehydration on Wednesday.
Netizens took to social media to express their admiration for the rescuers for taking the risk to save the man’s life.
Executive Assistant Dionilo Bogtae, head of the Public Safety and SEARS, said they crossed a 35-meter wide river, and another 15-meter wide river before reaching the house of the 31-year-old patient, who was residing in the downstream area of Sitio Lamurang.
Bogtae said they responded to a call for assistance from a barangay official.
He said the patient was suffering from loose bowel movement (LBM) on Tuesday night and was getting severely ill due to dehydration which has rendered him unconscious.
But due to the strong river current brought by the heavy rains, it took them a while to reach the patient’s house, he added.
When the rescuers reached his house, he was given an IV fluid.
He said that five rescuers carried the patient while holding on to a rope which guided them in crossing the river.
“It was really difficult but we made it,” he said.
He said the patient was immediately brought to a hospital safe and is now stable.