5 Cebu towns soon to have fire station

CEBU, Philippines — At least five municipalities in the Province of Cebu will soon have their own fire station.

The newly appointed regional director of the Bureau of Fire Protection-7, Fire Chief Supt. Roberto Genave, made the announcement during a courtesy visit to Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on Wednesday.

The municipalities include Tabogon, Alcoy, Borbon, Ronda, and Santander.

The BFP-7 is set to enter into a usufruct agreement with these municipalities to realize the project where the local government unit will provide a space where the BFP station could be constructed.

Garcia also informed Genave about the latest approved ordinance by the Provincial Board which needs the national government agencies to seek advice from the Capitol before implementing their projects in Cebu.

Before assuming his post in Region-7, the Philippine National Police Academy Alumnus (Patnubay Class of 1995) performed duties as director for the BFP Headquarters Support Service and as Region 4A director for BFP- Calabarzon.

“We are more willing to work closely with the Provincial Government,” Genave said.

Fire Prevention

Meanwhile, with the effects of global warming continuing to be felt, Cebu City Mayor Rama told the barangays to redirect financial aid given to them by the city government on public safety and environmental concerns.

Rama told the Office of the Barangay Affairs along with Liga ng mga Barangay president Franklyn Ong to cascade this to the different barangays during its convergence meeting.

On public safety, Rama wants barangays to give priority to projects that will help the city in fire prevention.

The extreme heat had caused fires in houses and even in grasslands among others.

The mayor has not specified what to do or what to purchase, but barangays are expected to look into their capabilities and equipment in fire prevention and other calamities.

The mayor’s call came out timely for San Nicolas Proper as they decided to purchase a fire truck.

San Nicolas Proper barangay captain Clifford Jude Niñal said this is the first time that they got a fire truck in their barangay.

Niñal thanked Rama and the rest of the city government for giving them P3 million in financial aid. It may not be as big as other funds given to the barangays, Niñal said, they are making sure they are using it for very good use.

Aside from fire prevention, the newly-acquired firetruck may also be utilized by the barangay in rationing off water to areas in the barangay that are having problems with water supply.

Water supply is also going slower these days also due to the dry season although MCWD said earlier, they are ready for this.

In connection with environmental concerns, barangays are expected to prioritize projects that will also help in local food production.

Earlier, the city’s agriculture office said they plan to purchase solar-powered pumps and establish a solar-powered irrigation system but are still working on the funding. They are looking into including it in the next supplemental budget.

Aside from that, Rama also reminded all barangays to keep peace and order in their respective areas as some forces may take advantage of others including during fire and extreme weather conditions when families leave their homes to go malling and other cooler places.

One of the mayor’s special assistants and City Legal Office head, Atty. Jerone Castillo, said earlier that the mayor and the rest will continue its convergence meeting “on a daily basis.”

“This until the city will reach the level of utmost state of preparedness given the spate of fires and the lingering effects of global warming,” Castillo said. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, GMR (FREEMAN)