A mountain community’s decade-long wait for reliable emergency transport came to an end this week as LG Electronics Philippines formally turned over the ambulance behind “Life Saver on Wheels” to Barangay Galalan, Pangil, Laguna—the winning project of the 2026 LG Ambassador Challenge.
The turnover was held on September 22 at the LG Electronics Philippines headquarters and marked the transition of the ₱1.6-million project from proposal to reality. A dedicated, community-managed ambulance is now stationed in a barangay where, for years, residents had no choice but to carry the sick and injured down mountain trails by hand, motorcycle, garbage truck, or whatever vehicle happened to be available.

Community-managed innovation
For Nakhyun Seong, Managing Director of LG Electronics Philippines, the turnover was the latest chapter in a commitment the company has kept since 2019, when it began supporting community-proposed Ambassador Challenge projects across the Philippines. This year’s cycle focused on medical aid and education, with particular attention to maternal and child welfare.

Within that scope, Seong said what set Galalan’s ambulance apart was its staying power. “If you want to support a long-term cause, an ambulance is exactly that. Emergency response is something a community needs for the long run, and that’s a priority for LG,” he said.

“At the heart of LG, there is warmth and understanding,” Seong continued. “That’s what we want to bring to people, by helping and by supporting those who can improve innovation in their own communities.”
What moved LG most was the residents’ willingness to help and serve their fellow barangay members, Seong said, adding that LG hopes the ambulance will also benefit neighboring communities facing the same gap in emergency care.
Two decades in the making

For Pastor Ramil B. Repolido, who co-proposed the project and now serves as its ambulance manager, the turnover closes a chapter that began long before the Ambassador Challenge existed. For two decades, Repolido has done missionary work in the barangay which was roughly 20 kilometers from the nearest hospital.
“No ambulance trips are made there,” Repolido said of the area’s transport options. “Most of the time, we see motorcycles, cars, or bicycles and even a garbage truck. That’s what the patients are forced to use.”
The situation is more difficult in Sitio Gisgis, one of Galalan’s farthest communities, where patients are still carried by hand along a walking trail before they can even reach a road. “It’s about a 45-minute to one-hour walk,” Repolido said, describing how residents

there use a duyan, a traditional hammock-like sling, to bring patients to the barangay center before any vehicle can take over.
When LG selected “Life Saver on Wheels” as a winning entry, Repolido said the barangay had been praying for the outcome for months. “We are very thankful to LG because it has been an instrument for us to grow what we have been praying for for a long time,” he said. “We believe this is God’s will.”
Felix Arbol Jr., a member of the Barangay Council and a church elder who helped rally support for the proposal, said the community was clear about what would make the greatest difference for residents: reliable access to an ambulance.
Felix said the barangay is ready to put the new vehicle to immediate use. “If we have an ambulance, we are willing to go to the hospital at any time, any day, as long as it’s an emergency,” he said. “We don’t have to worry about transportation anymore.

Built to last

The ambulance will be stationed at the barangay hall under Repolido’s oversight, with a driver from the barangay’s health office and coordination support from the Rural Health Center for first aid response. The barangay is also planning a dedicated, accessible parking area so the vehicle can be dispatched quickly once an emergency call comes in.

Asked what causes LG will prioritize to support next, Seong pointed to the same threads that shaped this year’s selection. “Moving forward, our priorities remain children, education, and healthcare,” he said, signaling that Galalan is likely one entry point into a longer-running push rather than a single, standalone project.