ANGARA WANTS TO REQUIRE CPR TRAINING IN SCHOOLS

Senator Sonny Angara has filed a bill that seeks to require all public and private basic education schools in the country to provide their students with at least one training session in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

"We must instill health consciousness among Filipinos, and ensure that we are equipped with the necessary knowledge and basic skills to respond to certain health emergencies," Angara said.

According to international health experts, a victim's survival doubles when CPR is administered as it helps maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain, and decreases the amount of time that an electric shock which causes cardiac arrest can be effective.

Under Senate Bill 3016, CPR training program, developed by the Philippine Heart Association or the Philippine National Red Cross using nationally recognized and evidence-based guidelines for emergency cardiovascular care and psychomotor training, will be part of the school's comprehensive health and physical education curriculum.

"There is a need for us to increase our knowledge of CPR as a life-saving skill even among ordinary citizens, and training more than five million able-bodied youth is a big step towards this goal," the senator said.

The proposed measure further mandates schools to make CPR training a requisite prior to graduation.

The school principal or administrator shall coordinate with the Department of Health for its assistance in providing competent instructors for the school's CPR training program.

"We should consider the benefits and the countless lives that can be saved if we train our youth with CPR," Angara added.