Towns get 50 motorcycles with firefighting equipment

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez, Jr. turned over yesterday the 50 motorcycles complete with firefighting equipment to the mayors of 39 municipalities in the province of Cebu and the cities of Talisay and Toledo.

The Capitol officials hope that despite the lack of fire trucks in towns, the motorcycles with firefighting equipment will be able to respond immediately to fire incidents.

Sanchez said that it was during the campaign period for the 2004 elections when he visited one of the towns in southern Cebu and learned from residents that their main concern is to have the lack of fire truck in their town addressed.

"Kung naay sunog, maghuwat pa daw sila nga muabot ang fire truck sa laing lungsod hangtud nga maugdaw na lang ang balay," Sanchez said.

Dalaguete mayor Ronald Allan Sesante, president of the Cebu Municipal Mayors League, said that of the 47 municipalities of the province of Cebu, half of these have no fire truck of their own.

With the distribution of motorcycles with firefighting equipment, Sesante hopes the vehicles will be of help in minimizing losses both in terms of lives and properties during fire incidents. - Jose P. Sollano