We need new fire trucks. This is a wake-up call!

Last week, the fire that razed houses of some 65 families in Barangay Lahug did not only reveal the problems we are facing with our social justice, but it also revealed how bad is the state of our fire trucks and equipment of the Cebu Fire Department. We know that most of our fire trucks are already old and in very poor condition. I don’t even recall when the Cebu Fire Department purchased its last fire truck. The bottom line really is, whether those fire trucks can still be maintained to be serviceable.

Fire trucks if properly maintained can last longer than most cars. However, if it needs replacement already, then we should already prepare to spend a certain amount to get brand new trucks. So, who should be paying for new fire trucks? Should it be shouldered by the City of Cebu or should it be shouldered by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)? If you ask me, our Congressmen from the North and South District ought to allocate part of their pork barrel for to acquire at least two new fire trucks. Rep. Raul del Mar has given buses to the barangay. He can allocate money for a fire truck.

I don’t know how many more wake up calls we need before government acts on this problem. Perhaps we should remind our public officials about how unprepared were our Disaster Coordinating Councils when Tropical Storm “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” struck Metro Manila and Northern Luzon. Even today, the finger-pointing continues. But then who could predict the magnitude of the rainfall that fell on Metro Manila?

But fires are not natural disasters, they’re man-made. But what is happening to our Fire Department is what we’d call a “man-made” disaster. Call Cebu lucky that we still have the Chinese Volunteers Fire Brigade whose fire trucks are always serviceable and whose volunteers are very dedicated to their job. Without them, Cebu would be a disaster area in the waiting.

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There is no question that the Pacman has reached the pinnacle of his boxing career, winning seven weight divisions. He is now dubbed as “The Greatest Boxer of All Time.” Yes, we Filipinos ought to be proud that this honor was won by a Bisaya! One of the greatest Filipino boxers before Manny Pacquiao was the late Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, who came from Bogo, Cebu. So you can proudly say that the greatest Filipino boxers are Cebuano speakers!

To be perfectly honest, it was the first time I watched a Pacquiao fight on live tv because in the past, I really got pissed having to watch a three-minute round of great boxing sandwiched by eight minutes of advertisements. I usually watched the replay, which no longer carried advertisements. But this time, I huffed over to the Cebu Country Club where I learned that Cignal, a new player in the satellite industry, had put up a satellite link in the ballroom for the members. It was jampacked and the atmosphere was like being inside the MGM Grand Garden arena.

Last Saturday evening, I watched an HBO special on GMA as a prelude to the Pacquiao-Cotto fight and you’d really think that the Pacman was headed for trouble; after all, he was gunning for a higher weight category. But one thing you have to praise Manny Pacquiao is his faith. He isn’t ashamed to make a sign of the cross in public view. Many Catholics make a sign of the cross so quickly as if they don’t want to be seen doing it. As he entered the ring, Manny immediately went into this corner to kneel and pray. Most Catholics do not even kneel anymore (even inside the church) when the Holy Eucharist is lifted up by the priest during the consecration!

Thanks to satellite communication and “pay-per-view” special broadcast, Filipinos all over the country watched the Pacquiao-Cotto bout. ABS-CBN reported that Filipinos from all over the world, from Singapore (Press Secretary Cerge Remonde watched and informed the President of Pacman’s win), Dubai including the other major cities in the world all watched the match. I wouldn’t be surprised to know that there was a zero crime rate while the boxing match was underway.

No doubt, Manny was blessed with another stunning victory. Thanks to the prayers of his mother Aling Dionesia who stayed in her room holding a novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary. But inside the arena you could hear the crowd shouting, “Manny, Manny, Manny.” But in all honesty, a lot of them were shouting, “Money, Money, Money.”   Of course, I was referring to the millions of gamblers all over the world, who saw an opportunity to make money by betting on Manny Pacquiao. Despite the fact that Manny was challenging Miguel Cotto the WBO Welterweight Title, which was a very historic attempt. No doubt, history smiled on Manny Pacquiao last Sunday.

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