Firefighters in Palawan recently staged an early Christmas concert at the SM City Puerto Princesa to step up fire prevention awareness in line with its annual “Oplan Paalala”.
Fire Officer 1 Harris Mabuyao, public information officer of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Palawan, said while the holiday is a period for festivity and celebration, it is also a time for the public to be vigilant against the occurrence of fire.
In a statement sent by SM City to Palawan News, Mabuyao said their office is the first BFP in the MIMAROPA to do the campaign concert which focuses Oplan Paalala’s reminder for residents to strictly observe safety measures to prevent fire incidents in their homes.
“We are the first in the BFP-MIMAROPA Region to do this campaign, which focuses on fire prevention activities thru information dissemination and promotion of BFP’s visibility within the locality,” said Mabuyao following their concert on November 22 at The Event Center of SM City Puerto Princesa.
The campaign concert is also in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to institutionalize the “Whole-of-Nation Approach” in bringing the government closer to the hearts of the Filipinos.
The BFP representative said the purpose of the concert is not just to cheer the public through music, fun, and entertainment”.
The holding of the concert at SM City Puerto Princesa was under a memorandum of agreement between the BFP and the SM management where it was agreed that both will collaborate in the promotion, information dissemination and the conduct of fire safety protection and preparedness-related activities.
“We are humbled to be BFP’s partner in promoting fire safety, and in helping build disaster-resilient communities. Through this partnership, we hope to teach our customers and the communities where our malls are present, the importance of safety and resilience,” said Steven Tan, chief operating officer of SM Supermalls.
Aside from the concert, an exhibit booth was also displayed by the Palawan firefighters featuring their equipment, gears and learning materials in a particular line such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Special Rescue Unit (SRU) and Firefighting.
All BFP personnel will be celebrating the holiday season quite differently from the rest of the country. While everyone will be attending parties and reunions over the holidays, all BFP personnel will be reporting for duty at their respective stations and will be on full alert during the season, according to BFP Chief Director Leonard R. Bañago.
