Some Pasig City barangays expressed their gratitude and support to the local government for being proactive in heeding their calls for new fire trucks and other firefighting resources to augment their response capacities. 

On Thursday, Sept. 14, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto led the turnover ceremonies for 28 new fire trucks to barangays who have been requesting the vehicles and equipment for nearly four years. 

The barangays cited defective trucks or lack of emergency supplies as reasons for requesting brand new and additional resources. 

The local government promised the new fire trucks, which cost P5.9 million each, to be of high-quality, furnished with complete equipment and advanced gears, as well as added safety features for firefighters.  

One of the barangay beneficiaries, San Antonio, now has three fire trucks, including the new truck, that can service its population of around 25,000 and covers the Ortigas, which is the Central Business District of the city. 

“Pinapaigting pa nitong bagong fire truck ang ating capacity pagdating sa disaster preparedness. Nagkakaron din ng pagkakataon na hindi overworked ang ating mga equipment because of new resources like this (This fire truck strengthens our capacity in disaster preparedness. New resources like this also prevents our current equipment from being overworked),” said San Antonio Chairman Raymond Lising.

He noted that the fire incidents in their area are commonly rubbish fires or caused by faulty electrical wiring, all of which are quickly controlled.

“Thankful din tayo sa ating mga stakeholders dahil very proactive sila (We are thankful to the stakeholders since they have been very proactive),” he added.  

Barangay Captain of Dela Paz Isidro Taboy Mariano Jr. said he is wholeheartedly thankful to the local officials, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) and his fellow tax-paying citizens who contributed to the procurement of the new equipment. 

Aside from the new specifications, the barangay highlighted the clean design of the trucks that all bear only the printed name of Pasig City, its logo and emergency hotlines.  

Through the new vehicles, the barangay remarked that Pasigueños can feel their taxes are being used to improve city services. 

“Bagamat ating ipinagdarasal na hindi natin magamit ang mga ganitong uri ng kagamitan, ngunit iba pa din ang handa sa mga hindi inaasahang pagkakataon. Karagdagan ito sa mga bagong asset ng ating Barangay (Though we pray that we don’t have to use these resources, but it is still better to be prepared for unexpected situations. These are also added assets to our barangay),” said Mariano. 

Other barangay captains and officials were also thankful for the government’s initiatives in fulfilling the requests of the barangays, proudly sharing their new fire trucks on their social media pages. 

The equipment will be able to replace their  defective fire trucks which are no longer effective due damage, old age, or other reasons. 

Among the recipients were Barangays Caniogan, Bagong Ilog, Sagad, Pinagbuhatan, Rosario, Manggahan, San Nicolas, San Jose, Bambang, Buting, Malinao, San Joaquin, Sta. Rosa, Sumilang, Sta. Lucia, San Miguel, Sta. Cruz, Sto. Tomas, Santolan, Palatiw, Maybunga, Pineda, Ugong, Oranbo, Kapitolyo, and Kapasigan. 

The barangays regularly conduct fire drills to train their personnel and their corresponding communities, coordinating closely with their firefighter units and teams and the Bureau of Fire Protection-Pasig.