If you take a closer look at the alchemy of public service, Fire Superintendent Loreta Guliman-Narag is a living idiom of a woman who exemplifies the true meaning of the core values of service beyond borders.
Tucked with the degree Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry, Doc Loy would have lived lavishly, enjoying the perks of a dentist who could easily secure wealth for her personal and family comfort. However, she chose to serve the nation.
Her untainted government service began in 1999 when she entered the Bureau of Fire Protection as a non-commissioned officer. She was promoted to fire inspector in 2008 and later designated as officer-in-charge of the operations division of BFP Region 2.
In 2017, she reaped the first fruit of her dedicated service as she was recognized as the Best Junior Commissioned Officer. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, she was designated as the Acting Provincial Fire Marshal of Batanes, the first-ever provincial lady fire chief in region 2. She is currently the chief of the Dental Service Section of BFP Region 2.
She is a native of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. She spent her elementary years at Tuguegarao City West Central School. She was shaped by the Cagayan National High School in her secondary studies; National University, Manila in her tertiary education and finished her master’s degree in Business Administration at Isabela State University. She is a member of the Philippine Dental Association - Tuguegarao City Cagayan Dental Chapter and serves as the protocol officer.
Her career mission as public servant doesn’t only revolve around the organization where she belongs. As she performs graciously her commitment and dedication as a fire officer, she is also very active in various outreach activities practicing her profession.
“If we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are only in the service of our God” - Doc Loy’s favorite line which inspires her to work, to reach out to the needy, and to share her profession.
She is described by her co-employees as a mild-mannered person, soft-spoken, and a counselor. She is a leader by action, a good mentor, a confidant, and a mother to her young subordinates. Her friends also define her as a person with a positive perspective on life in spite of the pain and hardships she went through.
She received several awards and recognitions within and outside her organization for initiating various community outreach activities and fire safety drives, especially in remote areas. Aside from the office-initiated outreach activities, she also initiated her own simple but impactful dental outreach programs in marginalized communities.
As proof of these, Doc Loy is decorated with various medals including the “Medalya ng Pagtulong sa Nasalanta” when she initiated and coordinated assistance extended to the victims of super typhoon “Odette” in Caraga Region in 2021, including affected BFP personnel of the said region.
She also received another ‘Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Medal’ when she served as the lead coordinator in resource generation for relief assistance extended in Region 8 when the most powerful super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ hit in 2013.
She is also part of BFP 2’s mission team in various outreach activities to disaster-stricken communities in Cagayan Valley Region, especially during the onslaught of super typhoons “Lawin” and “Ompong” that brought severe devastations to the lives and livelihood of people of Cagayan and Isabela provinces. She is also on the ground during the series of flooding in the region.
The Informers Club Media Association, the organization of local media practitioners based in Cagayan province, is a witness to the passion of Doc Loy in serving the poor when she gladly accepted the invitation of the team for a medical and dental mission in a remote barangay in Penablanca in 2001 were she was able to serve several individuals for free.
Knowing her boundless kind of service, she has been tapped by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority as its partner in the conduct of its medical, dental and optical missions which benefitted hundreds of indigent individuals residing within the ecozone.
During the COVID 19 pandemic, she was also one of the frontliners who really took risks in the name of service as the operation’s chief of the BFP regional office 2. With her exemplary performance in this aspect, she received “Medalya ng Kagalingan”.
She also received two “Medalya ng Kasanayan” for her outstanding performance and for raising the banner of BFP region 2’s goals, programs and endeavors. In 2022, she received “Medalya ng Papuri” for her meritorious service during the national and local elections.
Doc Loy is also one of the most sought-after resource speakers on fire prevention, safety, disaster preparedness, and rescue and relief operations, not only in the communities but also in academic institutions.
Truly, dedication, compassion and boundless service are echoed in the name of a woman who never pursued a career for wealth, never dreamt to be decorated with medals and merits, she just spread her arms to the fullest to share her profession and passion in the name of service. This is Doctor Loreta Guliman-Narag. #(OTB/ALM/JKC/PIA Region 2)
