Boracay Eyes Better Emergency Response Coordination

Emergency response incident prompts review of Boracay's response system

By Rica Velasco

An emergency involving an 11-month-old infant has prompted discussions about Boracay's emergency response system. This includes response times at the scene and the transfer of patients to hospitals on the island and the mainland.

The issue started as a complaint from Boracay resident Cris Cahilig. It has since grown into a wider discussion involving the Municipal Government of Malay, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), the Sangguniang Bayan and the Commission on Audit.

Participants at the Committee of the Whole hearing on May 14

On May 3, an infant suffering from seizure activity needed urgent transfer from the Ciriaco S. Tirol Hospital (CSTH) to Kalibo for further medical evaluation. According to Cahilig's complaint, hospital staff told the family that coordination with the receiving hospital had already been completed. Transportation through the MDRRMO had also been arranged. The ambulance did not immediately arrive, prompting the family to make a follow-up call.

In her complaint, Cahilig said the delay exposed weaknesses in Boracay's emergency referral process. 

She questioned communication between agencies, dispatch procedures, response times, contingency planning and the fees collected for emergency transport. She submitted the complaint to the Municipal Government on May 6. It was later taken up during a Committee of the Whole hearing before the Sangguniang Bayan, held on May 14.

Cris Cahilig 

MDRRMO released its own explanation of the incident. 

The office said the situation came down to a communication gap, not negligence or refusal to respond. Dispatch records show the request for transport assistance was received at approximately 6:42 p.m. Coordination started immediately among available responders. No rescue vehicle was available right away, since response units were attending to other operational commitments at the time. As resources freed up, coordination continued until Boracay-based responders reached the hospital at around 7:25 p.m. The patient was loaded into the rescue vehicle at approximately 7:33 p.m., roughly eight minutes after responders arrived on scene.

The Municipality of Malay also released a statement on the incident. It said the patient had been assessed as stable under Priority 3 during the referral and was transported safely to Kalibo. Its investigation found no undue delay, but indicated that the incident pointed to a need to strengthen inter-agency coordination and referral protocols, going forward.

Cahilig replied to the municipality with a more detailed account. She said the explanation only covered the final dispatch period. It left out the time between the initial request for assistance and the actual mobilization of responders. She also asked why there is no publicly established standard for response times. The complaint, she said, was not solely about one incident. It was about the system behind it.

Her concerns included the lack of an integrated dispatch system, unclear division of responsibilities between agencies, the legal basis for emergency transport charges, and the need for more transparency and accountability in emergency referrals. She proposed a centralized digital logging system that would let hospitals, dispatch personnel, responders and government offices monitor requests and coordination in real time.

At the hearing, there was general agreement that Boracay's emergency referral system needs improvement. 

Discussions touched on clearer agency roles, stronger coordination between the Municipal Health Office and MDRRMO, standardized response procedures and possible legislation to formally establish an integrated emergency medical services and referral system.

Boracay welcomes millions of visitors a year. It is also home to thousands of residents who rely on local health services. Higher-level medical facilities are on the mainland, which makes emergency referrals a regular part of life on the island. Every minute counts when a patient needs urgent transport.

The Commission on Audit has acknowledged receipt of Cahilig's complaint and referred it to its audit team.

The issues raised go beyond the transfer of one patient from CSTH to Kalibo. They touch on how emergency calls are handled, how quickly responders reach patients in homes, resorts or elsewhere on the island, and how well agencies coordinate from the moment a call comes in.

A point of progress from the discussions so far is a proposal to institutionalize an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and Referral System for Boracay. It includes digitalizing dispatch mechanisms, clearer coordination between agencies and hiring dedicated first responders and healthcare professionals such as paramedics and EMTs. The proposal is still in the works.

This is a developing story as of this writing.