15 Valenzuela firemen cited for honesty

Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday commended members of the city fire department for their honesty in the performance of duty.

Lauded were City Fire Marshal Chief Inspector Agapito Nacario and his staff, Inspector Enrico Caco, intelligence and investigation chief, and six of his men, and five fire engine operatives headed by SFO3 Roberto Suarez.

The group returned intact pieces of jewelry with estimated value of P100,000 recovered in a fire that reduced to rubble the house of city resident Azucena Maylad, 65, a widow, last week. Damage to property was estimated at P5 million. No one was hurt in the incident.

"Fighting fires and ensuring the safety of the city residents while maintaining honesty and integrity in carrying out their duty is indeed a feat worthy of emulation. Their virtue and disposition while at work certainly deserve to be publicly acknowledged," said Gatchalian.

Gatchalian did not stop at commending the city firefighters at the city hall but brought to the attention of Interior and Local Government SecretaryRonaldo Puno and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Director Rogelio Asignado the firemen’s good deed.

"Allow me to commend the members of the (Valenzuela) BFP for exhibiting unparalleled honesty and integrity in the conduct of duty," Gatchalian said in a letter yesterday.

Records showed that at around 3:55 p.m. on Thursday, FO2 Melchor Gonzales received a call from a certain Angie, reporting a fire that was raging at 45 Silangan Park Subdivision in Marulas, Valenzuela City.

With the help of volunteer brigades, the fire was contained and kept from spreading to adjacent houses. The fire was declared out in less than an hour.

The firefighters found the jewelry in the rubble and returned them to Maylad for inventory, appropriate accounting and turnover.

Maylad profusely thanked Nacario and his men for returning the jewelry.

Nacario and his men also returned some P100,000 in cash in December last year to a certain William Young of Filcor/Neo Marketing Corp. after they found a steel vault containing cash intended for the salary of Young’s workers.

Gatchalian also commended Nacario and his men for the honest deed.