A medical emergency at a resort, hotel pool, or beachfront can happen within seconds, making the people closest to the scene crucial in the moments before professional responders arrive. Bell-Kenz Pharma is bringing its Sagip CPR training to Cebu's hospitality sector to help prepare tourism frontliners and bystanders to recognize and respond to emergencies, including drowning incidents.
The training will be held on August 27 at the University of Cebu-Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue Campus in partnership with the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu, Inc. (HRRACI). It will cover lifeguards, pool and beach personnel, security teams, guest service employees, and other hospitality workers who may be among the first to witness an emergency.
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Preparing Those Closest to an Emergency
The initiative addresses a simple but important question for tourism establishments: Are the people closest to an emergency prepared to act?
Lifeguards and other recreational safety personnel are not the only ones who can make a difference. Security guards, pool attendants, hotel employees, other guests, and bystanders may also be in a position to notice that something is wrong and call for help.
Drowning can also be difficult to recognize. A person in distress may not be able to shout or wave for assistance and may instead struggle to stay above water or repeatedly disappear beneath the surface. Being alert and knowing when to call for help can therefore be critical.
As part of the training, Bell-Kenz will introduce a drowning chain of survival module covering five key actions: preventing drowning, recognizing distress, providing flotation, safely removing a person from the water, and providing appropriate care.
The training also emphasizes the principle of “throw, don’t go” when providing flotation to a person in distress. Instead of immediately entering the water, bystanders can throw a life buoy or another floating object to help keep the person above water while waiting for trained assistance.
Building on Cebu’s Role as a Tourism and Transport Hub
The Cebu training builds on Bell-Kenz's broader Sagip CPR advocacy and follows the company's July rollout of the Sagip CPR Nautical Highway in Cebu City, which brought CPR training to more than 1,000 barangay health workers, local government personnel, and Philippine Coast Guard elements.
The latest initiative extends the focus from the country's maritime transport network to the tourism establishments and destinations where residents and visitors regularly gather.
Cebu remains one of the country's major tourism gateways. The province welcomed more than 836,595 tourists from January to June, while Central Visayas recorded 6.9 million visitors in 2025, according to the figures cited by the organizers.
As tourism activity continues across Cebu's resorts, beaches, hotels, and other recreational destinations, emergency preparedness becomes another consideration for keeping these spaces safe.
Through Sagip CPR, Bell-Kenz aims to equip more people with basic emergency-response knowledge, while encouraging both tourism workers and ordinary bystanders to stay alert and be ready to call for help when an emergency occurs.
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