MANILA, Philippines ? The Philippine National Police has acquired two new helicopters to help improve the police?s rescue capabilities in times of disasters, a police official said on Friday.

The two standard light police choppers arrived in September and are currently at the hangar of the Special Action Force, said Chief Superintendent Pedro Desuasido, deputy director of logistics, in an interview.

Desuasido also said another helicopter is due for delivery soon, bringing the current number of PNP choppers to four.

The PNP is also seeking to procure 132 rubber boats for this year, which will be distributed across the country. A bulk of these rubber boats, Desuasido said, will go to coastal areas, typhoon-prone, and flood-prone areas.

Desuasido said the police are also looking to purchase rubber boots, vests, spades, and other equipment that will be valuable in conducting rescue and relief operations, such as what happened during tropical storm ?Ondoy? and typhoon ?Pepeng.?

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fire Protection also announced the purchase of some 33 new fire trucks that also sought to improve rescue capabilities in disasters, as well as to provide water to evacuees.

Acting BFP Director Rolando Bandilla said that these new fire trucks were deployed mainly in Metro Manila and the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) region.

BFP records revealed that the current number of fire trucks in Metro Manila is 428; 217 in Central Luzon; 257 in Calabarzon, and 88 in the Ilocos region.