Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. proposed a bill, requiring every public swimming pool and other bathing facilities nationwide to hire a qualified lifeguard for the safety of swimmers and curb possible contamination of diseases.
In filing Senate Bill No. 1581, Revilla also mandates the Department of Health (DOH) to spearhead the program.
The said measure also supports Chapter 7 of Presidential Decree No. 856, or the Code of Sanitation of the Philippines promulgated on December 23, 1975, mandating the DOH to protect the health and safety of people who use public swimming and bathing places.
Also, the bill required business establishments to provide proper numbers of trained personnel and necessary equipment needed for lifesaving and rescue work and post conspicuous signs of public warning in the presence of artificial or natural hazards.
Revilla emphasized that a lifeguard must have a nationally recognized lifesaving certificate and shall be assigned to every 100 bathers in a confined area, another lifeguard in a tower of every 90 meters, and another one in every 600 meters in the swimming area.
