SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro (PIA) — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) of Occidental Mindoro provincial office received humanitarian aid worth P2,844,000.00 from Latter-Day Saints (LDS) Charities, Philippines.
The humanitarian aid, comprised of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipments, emergency response, and disaster preparedness equipment, aims to equip the BFP in the province with additional equipment to upgrade the bureau’s service in their respective towns.
“Heavenly Father wants us to do His work to share His bounty to those in need so they can, in turn, bless even more people. And that is the partnership I think we have with the [BFP],” Sister Patricia Hayne, LDS Humanitarian Missionary shared.
BFP MIMAROPA Assistant Regional Director for Administration Maria Neneth C. Calapati said that the donations will greatly impact their operations in Occidental Mindoro.
“First time lang naming maka-receive dito sa Occidental Mindoro ng Humanitarian Aid, [lalo na] ‘yung refilling station ng self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), na [kailangan] kapag may mga confined space o may mga usok na kailangan ng responde (This is our first time receiving humanitarian aid for Occidental Mindoro, especially the SCBA refilling station which is needed for rescuing people in confined spaces or smoke-filled areas,” Calapati stressed.
She added “Wala tayong refilling station sa Occidental Mindoro, sa Oriental Mindoro pa sila pupunta kaya napakalaking tuklong ng donations na ito ng Latter Day Saints [Charities] We do not have a refilling station in Occidental Mindoro, and we had to travel to Oriental Mindoro for a refill, the reason why the LDS Charities’ donation is a great help for us),” she said.
Meanwhile, San Jose Municipal Fire Marshal Rogelio Cabalse Jr. said that the donations, specifically the ICT equipments, will boost their productivity in data processing and information dissemination.
“Ang computer na nadatnan naming [sa opisina] ay…obsolete na kung baga…[Gamit] ang mga binigay nilang [kagamitan], ma-upgrade namin ang pagbibigay namin ng information drive sa mga tao…[at] magiging mabilis yung aming reply o response pagdating sa mga data (The computers we have in our office are obsolete. Using the equipments we have received, we will be able to upgrade our information drive for the people…and our data processing will be faster),” Cabalse shared.
He added that the intervention will boost their team’s confidence in performing fire safety and rescue activities as they are equipped with necessary tools.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed between the two parties witnessed by more than 30 attendees during the turnover activity held in San Jose, including BFP personnel and LDS Charities representatives. (DSG/PIA Occidental Mindoro)
The BFP Occidental Mindoro received humanitarian aid from LDS Charities Philippines comprising emergency response and disaster preparedness equipment, such as split set, SCBA refilling station, mattresses, first aid kits, stretchers, and ICT materials.
