President Marcos said the government is close to achieving its goal of providing every province, city, and municipality in the country with a fully equipped Patient Transport Vehicle (PTV), calling the program a practical way to improve emergency healthcare.

Marcos said this as he led the distribution of 124 ambulances across various municipalities and cities in Region 8.

In his speech, the President said the ambulances will last with the proper care, adding that every mechanic in the Philippines is capable of attending to the said vehicles.

“Sa aming pananaw (In our view), this is the most practical [approach],” he said during the ceremony in Ormoc City on Monday, Aug. 18.

“Basta alagaan lang ninyo nang mabuti, tatagal ’yan (As long as you take care of it, these vehicles will last),” he added.

According to the President, the government has been able to distribute 1,173 PTVs to 1,642 cities and towns in the country. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has allocated P1 billion in its 2025 budget for the procurement of 395 additional units to complete nationwide coverage by the end of the year.

“Malapit na (We’re getting close),” he said.

“Pinapangako sa akin ni (PCSO general manager) Mel (Robles) (Mel promised me) that by the end of the year, we will start already the second round,” he added.

Marcos said the PCSO has committed to begin a second round of distribution after the 100-percent target is reached.

“Patuloy lang ito, patuloy lang naming gagawan hanggang medyo maayos na ang ating sistema (This will continue; we’ll keep doing it until our system becomes fully improved),” he said.

The President said the initiative is part of a broader effort to build a more responsive and accessible healthcare system for all Filipinos, especially in far-flung areas.

“We are very interested in making the experience of all our people who are getting sick [easier],” he said.

“Sana naman hindi sila natatakot na pumunta sa ospital para magpagamot dahil mahal ang gamot, mahal magpatingin, at mahal magpa-confine (With this, we hope they won’t be afraid to go to the hospital because of the high cost of medicine or confinement),” he added.

He reiterated that having a good job or stable income is nothing if one is not healthy.

“Bawat tao ang pinakamahalaga ang kalusugan (The health of every person is what matters most),” he stressed.

Each PTV is equipped with a stretcher, oxygen tank, wheelchair, blood pressure monitor, first aid kit, and medicine cabinet, allowing it to function both as a basic ambulance and patient transport vehicle.

“It will cover 90+ percent of all the needs of a patient. It can work as an ambulance, it can work as a transport vehicle,” Marcos said.