The province of Negros Occidental is supporting the celebration of the first World Drowning Prevention Day.
Drowning is an issue that affects every nation of the world. According to the World Health Organization, around 236,000 lives are lost to drowning every year. Thus, the United Nations General Assembly has approved the first ever resolution on Drowning Prevention. An opportunity to raise awareness on the importance of drowning prevention to reduce preventable deaths.
In the previous years, the provincial government of Negros Occidental conducted Basic Water Safety, Rescue, and Life Guarding Trainings through the initiative of the Provincial Tourism Office in partnership with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office and the Philippine Lifesaving Society.
The training helped equip the tourism stakeholders and frontliners with the necessary knowledge and skills in dealing with saving lives in the water environment and better respond to related accidents, emphasizing the importance of lifeguards and rescuers.
“Today is an important day for the drowning prevention communities worldwide. Let us take action to save more lives. Anyone can drown, no one should,” the provincial government statement said.*