President Marcos led the distribution of 229 Patient Transport Vehicles (PTVs) across Mindanao, underscoring his administration’s push to deliver basic healthcare services to far-flung and underserved communities.

“This is something that we are very, very confident will make a big difference in our healthcare system,” the President said in his speech during the turnover ceremony in Butuan City on Friday, Oct. 24.

“At the very basic, if you do not have a healthy population, you cannot have a happy population. And that is what we need to do. We have to bring healthcare down to the people,” he added.

The 229 vehicles, distributed through the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), were turned over to several provinces including Agusan del Norte (12 units for Butuan City), Surigao del Norte (20), Surigao del Sur (19), Dinagat Islands (7), Davao de Oro (8), Davao Oriental (4), and Misamis Occidental (1).

In a separate turnover held in Kidapawan City, 158 additional PTVs were distributed for the Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Each vehicle, built specifically for the country’s terrain, is equipped with a stretcher, oxygen tank, wheelchair, first-aid kit, blood pressure monitor, medicines, and other emergency equipment.

Marcos said some local governments are receiving such vehicles for the first time.

“Iyan po ang inuna namin, yung mga walang-wala, kahit na kailan hindi pa nagkaroon. Alam naman natin na kailangan-kailangan nito (We prioritized those who had nothing — those who have never had one before. We know how much they need this),” he said.

The PCSO’s Medical Transport Vehicle Donation Program**, launched in 2019, supports the President’s directive for every city and municipality to have an operational patient transport vehicle by 2025.

Each PTV costs about P2.3 million and is designed to navigate narrow roads and rough terrain, ensuring patients in remote areas can access emergency care.

Since June 2022, the President said the PCSO has already distributed 1,540 units, or 89 percent of its 1,724-unit target.

The agency has allocated P1 billion this year to purchase an additional 395 vehicles to complete the nationwide rollout and achieve full coverage of all local government units.

Marcos said the initiative demonstrates the government’s commitment to “build a healthier, more resilient Bagong Pilipinas where no Filipino is left without access to care.”