GMA orders release of fire pumps

President Arroyo ordered Tuesday the release of P15 million to the Bureau of Fire Protection for the purchase of fire pumps for municipalities without firefighting equipment, such as firetrucks or fire pumps.

The amount is the first tranche of the P37 million Mrs. Arroyo pledged to the bureau at the kick-off ceremony of Fire Prevention Month last March 1 at the Quirino Grandstand where she was the guest of honor and main speaker.

A BFP press statement said Mrs. Arroyo observed that about 900 municipalities in the country did not have firefighting equipment such as firetrucks or fire pumps. She said with the meager capital outlay of the fire service, BFP would not be able to provide firefighting equipment to the 900 municipalities to protect themselves from fire.

She pledged she would release P37 million from the President’s Social Fund for the purchase of fire pumps "to beef up the present shortfall of more than 900 firetrucks or 556 fire pumps nationwide."

According to BFP, the country needs 2,731 firetrucks based on its present population of 77 million. However, the fire service only has 1,271 firetrucks that are operational, or a shortfall of 1,460 firetrucks nationwide.

BFP chief Francisco Senot said the President’s commitment would be released in three tranches, namely, the first tranche in the amount of P15 million that was released Tuesday; the second tranche for P11 million, to be released in June; and the third and final tranche for P11 million, to be released in September, this year.

The project proposal submitted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government headed by Secretary Jose Lina Jr. to the Office of the President identified 185 fourth and fifth class municipalities as the beneficiaries of the fire pumps.