TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Feb. 2 (PIA) -- The Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) here formed a technical group to operationalize the diving decompression chambers in Panglao town as a safety measure for divers.

During this year’s second PPOC meeting on Jan. 31, the members approved a motion prioritizing diving safety by creating a technical group.

A collaboration with the local government unit of Panglao, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Provincial Health Office, and Bohol Provincial Tourism Office was also considered to operationalize the hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers in Panglao.

The hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, also known as a diving chamber, serves as a temporary dry environment that provides breathing gas for the occupants. 

It is used for emergencies such as carbon monoxide poisoning and lack of oxygen.

Provincial Administrator Asteria Caberte, who presided the PPOC meeting on behalf of Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado, said PPOC has to present an operational plan by Feb. 15.

She explained that adding more measures can ensure the success and failure of the province’s tourism as safety problems can influence tourists’ decisions on which areas they want to visit.

“We are always promoting Bohol as a prime tourist destination, but we cannot do anything if incidents occur due to the lack of safety measures for tourists to enjoy their stay here,” Caberte said.

The provincial administrator said creating a technical operation group can prevent more scuba diving-related accidents in Panglao.

She said they will also look into adding more diving chambers in nine diving areas outside of Panglao.

Meanwhile, the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) is also looking into adding more security in Panglao to ensure the public safety of both tourists and locals in the area, as reported incidents of theft increased last year.

During the PPOC meeting, BPPO Provincial Director PCol. Lorenzo Batuan said their office hopes to put up additional 100 tourism police officers in Panglao for better surveillance of criminal activity in the island.

Caberte said that heightening of security measures is essential for any destination such as Bohol as it strives to increase its popularity among visitors. (ECB/PIA7 Bohol)