5 firemen who rescued cat from blaze honored

CEBU, Philippines - Five Cebu City firemen were recognized yesterday by the Humane Society International for saving a cat trapped in a burning house during the fire in Sitio Panagdait, Barangay Kasambagan last June.

Humane Society International, an organization of animal lovers, gave a plaque of recognition to each of the five firefighters during a simple ceremony at the City Hall.

Dr. Rey Del Napoles presented the plaques of recognition to SFO1 Guilberto Solon, FO3 Stephen Prieto, Fernando Rota, Romeo Nabua, and Noel Miñoza.

Although it was only Solon who rescued the cat but the organization decided to also give recognition to the rest of the members of the team who responded to the fire alarm. The five firemen were cited for their good behavior towards the animal.

City veterinarian Alice Utlang said it was a news reporter who witnessed the brave act of the firemen to save the cat from the raging inferno. The reporter informed Utlang of what the fireman did.

 “Dunay nagpahibalo nako nga dunay iring nga na-trap sa kisame mao nga akong giguba ug nakagawas ang iring (somebody told me that a cat was trapped at the ceiling prompting me to destroy it to let the cat out),” Solon recalled.

Utlang said it is unusual for a firefighter to take time and effort just to save an animal. Aside from the firemen, the HSI also gave a plaque of recognition to Jessica Maribojoc, an employee of the Department of Veterinary Medicine, for her tireless efforts in taking care of the dogs that were surrendered by their owners.

Utlang broke down in tears while narrating how Maribojoc cared for the dogs. Utlang brought two of the Asong Pinoy under Maribojoc’s care to City Hall yesterday. HSI volunteers implanted a microchip, an electronic tracking device, into the dogs’ skin.

The device will help dog owners to track their pets. The device will likewise help city officials to identify dog owners. This is important especially if the dog has bitten somebody.

 The HSI has donated 10 pieces of tracking device and one scanning device to the city government. The scanner will retrieve the information from the microchip injected into the dog’s skin.    - THE FREEMAN