ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Pasado sa test of character!' Failed BFP applicant hailed for aiding vehicular accident victim

'Pasado sa test of character!' Failed BFP applicant hailed for aiding vehicular accident victim

Published Aug 7, 2026 02:19 pm

At A Glance

  • Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) applicant Paolo Guela, who failed the bureau's physical agility test, was honored during the agency's 35th anniversary for providing emergency first aid to a vehicular accident victim in Bulan, Sorsogon.
  • Guela stopped to help the injured motorist after encountering the July 24 road accident while riding home. He checked the victim's responsiveness, applied bandages and helped place a neck collar before the victim was taken to a hospital.
  • Guela is a certified first-aider and Philippine Red Cross Sorsogon volunteer. Despite failing the physical agility test, he plans to reapply in the next recruitment cycle.
(Photo: Bureau of Fire Protection)
(Photo: Bureau of Fire Protection)
A recruitment setback failed to extinguish the heroic spirit of a young applicant who, despite falling short of the physical agility test (PAT) of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), rushed to save a bloodied motorist along a southern highway in Bulan, Sorsogon.
And during the 35th BFP anniversary celebration in Quezon City on Friday, Aug. 7, fire officer applicant Paolo Guela received a “Special Recognition” for his exemplary deed and quick response to an ailing individual involved in a July 24 road mishap.
“The Bureau of Fire Protection celebrated its 35th anniversary today at the Linsangan Hall, BFP National Headquarters in Quezon City. Under the theme ‘Tatlong Dekada at Limang Taon ng Serbisyong Tapat at Maasahan: BFP sa Bagong Pilipinas’, the BFP celebrates 35 years of service, sacrifice, and commitment to saving lives and properties,” the BFP said in a statement.
“A Special Recognition was given to Paolo G. Guela, a Fire Officer applicant from Region 5, who provided emergency first aid to a vehicular accident victim,” it added.
According to the BFP, Guella was on board his motorcycle on his way home after failing his BFP physical agility test when he chanced upon a road accident.
Acting on instinct with his first aid kit on hand, Guela alighted from his motorcycle and rushed to check the injured man’s responsiveness while waiting for emergency services.
Five minutes later, the Bulan Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) arrived at the accident site.
Guela assisted in applying bandages and helped place a neck collar on the victim to immobilize his head before he was loaded into an ambulance.
It was later revealed that Guela is a certified first-aider and an active volunteer for the Philippine Red Cross Sorsogon Chapter.
Despite his setback, Guela expressed commitment to serving the community, vowing to reapply in the next recruitment cycle to fulfill his dream of becoming a BFP fire officer.

Related Tags

BFP Paolo Guela
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.