Bong Go pushes passage of fire protection bill
SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go called on his colleagues in the Senate to pass measures that would make communities more resilient to fire incidents and other manmade or natural disasters.
The senator made the appeal on Sunday as he provided aid to victims of fire in Tagum City, Davao del Norte. “Ako po mismo ay saksi sa hinagpis na nararamdaman ng ating mga kababayan nabiktima ng mga sunog (I witnessed the misery of victims of fire),” Go said in a statement. “Buwan-buwan, bago ang pandemya, ilang insidenteng sunog ang aking binibisita sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa upang makapagbigayng tulong sa mga kababayan nating na biktima (Every month, before the pandemic, I visited
some areas to extend help to fire victims),” he added.
Go filed Senate Bill ( SB) 204, or the “Fire Protection Modernization Act of 2019,” in July 2019 to improve the capacity of local Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) stations to provide safe and effective fire protection.
SB 204 will allow the BFP to hire more personnel, develop new and improved training programs for firefighters and acquire modern fire equipment.
For displaced families awaiting new homes, Go filed SB 1228, which seeks to build permanent evacuation centers in every city, province and municipality.
The bill outlines the minimum requirements for every evacuation center such as its amenities, location and accessibility, operation, and management, among others.
He also filed SB 1227, or the “Rental Housing Subsidy Program Act,” in December, which will give families displaced by natural and manmade disasters improved access to the formal housing market through the provision of a rental subsidy.
For eligible beneficiaries below the poverty threshold, the subsidy will be at least 50 percent of the total amount of rental.
Earlier, Go filed SB 203, or the “National Housing Development, Production and Financing Bill,” which seeks to generate funds to increase low- cost housing production and provide support mechanisms to improve access to housing options, particularly for poor Filipinos.
“Saving lives is an honorable task, but in order to efficiently serve the nation and protect Filipinos, we need to improve our services and capabilities,” the senator said. “With the health crisis we are facing today, we need to further strengthen the BFP.”
Under the bill, Fire Protection
Services will be established in every local government unit with no existing fire protection services.
The BFP will establish new training programs and a qualification and upgrading program for its officers and personnel. Existing fire protection equipment and services will be upgraded while new equipment will be acquired to replace the obsolete equipment and other systems in the BFP’s inventory.
“Finally, specialized fire protection services will also be created, including chemical fires, high-rise building fires, forest fires, ship and aircraft fires, disaster rescue services and emergency medical services, among others,” Go said.
For the victims of fire in the villages of Mankilam and San Miguel in Tagum City, Go gave food packs, medicine, face masks and cash.
The Department of Health provided hygiene kits, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development gave cash assistance to the needy families.
Go also extended additional aid to fire victims in Cebu.
He reminded them to continue cooperating with the government.
Go appealed to the people to follow health protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
“Kunghindik in a kai lang an,huw ag mun at a yo lu ma basng ba hay( Do not go out of the house if it is not necessary),” he said in a videocall.
The senator gave assurances that once a Covid- 19 vaccine becomes available, the poor and vulnerable sectors will be given access and be prioritized.
On Sept. 3, 80 fire victims from Barangay Inayawan, Duljo Fatima, Pardo and Carreta in Cebu City received cash assistance, food packs, facemasks, and vitamins from the senator.
An additional 123 beneficiaries from the villages of Tejero and San Roque, Cebu City received similar assistance from Go on September 4.
He also gave away bikes to selected beneficiaries.