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The Department of Transportation and the Philippine Red Cross have partnered to enhance transport passengers’ access to emergency support
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DOTr and its attached agencies signed with PRC a MOA on April 21 that promotes the PRC Safe Card as a tool for enhancing passenger protection across all modes of transport
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The card is a membership program that grants holders access to PRC’s services during emergencies
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) have partnered to enhance transport passengers’ access to emergency support.
Through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed on April 21 by PRC, DOTr, and its attached agencies—including Maritime Industry Authority, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Land Transportation Office, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and Philippine Coast Guard—the partnership aims to promote the PRC Safe Card as a tool for enhancing passenger protection across all modes of transport.
The PRC Safe Card is a membership program that grants holders access to PRC’s services during emergencies. For a P1,200 contribution per year, it grants access to one ambulance service per year, one bag of blood per year, and hospital/medical reimbursement for one year coverage.
PRC secretary general Gwendolyn Pang in a speech during the MOA signing said the partnership with DOTr “is a vital step forward in our shared commitment to saving lives and promoting a culture of safety on roads, at sea, and in the skies.”
She noted that for 2024 alone, the PRC responded to 13,577 vehicular crashes, of which over 77% or 10,488 involved motorcycle incidents. She added that 57% of road victims die within minutes before professional help arrives.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, vehicular accidents are the 12th top cause of death for Filipinos in 2024.
Through the PRC Safe Card program, Pang said they “aim to provide critical access to emergency medical services including ambulance use, blood supplies, and hospital support, particularly to the most vulnerable sector of our population.”
Moreover, through the program, Pang said they are “empowering individuals, drivers, riders, commuters, and pedestrians alike not only with emergency assistance but also quick access to first aid training, road safety education, and life-saving preparedness.”
Pang said the partnership with DOTr “will for sure help strengthen our resolve to not only respond to emergencies but to prevent them through public education, road safety training, and the empowerment of the communities.”
Under the MOA, the parties agree to educate and disseminate information to their officers, executives, personnel, representatives, partners, clients, suppliers, and service providers about the importance of road and transportation safety, demographics on vehicular accidents, and availability of medical assistance, which includes the Safe Card program and other services of PRC.
The MOA also aims to promote, advertise, and campaign on road and transportation safety awareness programs, and endeavors to strengthen crash response by linking DOTr’s traffic incidence management to the Red Cross.
Currently, the PRC operates 178 ambulances, 108 blood banks, and a vast volunteer network nationwide.
