MPD honors heroic OSYs

The Manila Police District (MPD) has honored a select group of Out-of-School Youth Serving Towards Economic Recovery (OYSTER) for helping save lives and property during a fire in Paco, Manila last Dec. 7.

In simple ceremonies held at the MPD grounds the other day, which coincided with the Christmas party for some 1,300 OYSTER members, MPD director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong extolled the participation of the group in serving society.

He lauded the bravery and heroism of an OYSTER group that responded to a fire scene at a three-story residential and commercial building at the corner of J. Nakpil and Linao streets in Paco.

Members of the group had been cleaning the streets when the fire struck.

The OYSTER youths immediately responded and saved the belongings of the victims, and even assisted firefighters in rescuing four family members and their two housemaids.

"They braved the intense heat and defied the immediate danger in order to save the properties of the victims inside the burning building," Bulaong said. He also noted the quick response of the group during the emergency situation was "not only a show of concern and kindness, but a bold performance of valor beyond their duty to clean the streets."

The OYSTER project is a livelihood program of President Arroyo aimed at helping hardworking, but jobless people get an honest living. The program intends to help youths stay away from illegal drugs and from joining street gangs, and instead spend their time in helping the city government maintain cleanliness and orderliness in the streets while offering them employment.

The program has been running for several years now and intends to provide jobs to the poor sector of the population.– Nestor Etolle