ILOILO City – Fire personnel assigned in La Paz district here may well find themselves under investigation for failing to respond to a fire emergency in Barangay Railway on April 28 which left people homeless and millions of pesos in property damaged.
In a statement emailed to this paper, United Kingdom-based Raj Padilla found very disturbing interviews aired over radio station RMN stating that the reason why the fire personnel were not able to respond was because their fire truck has had a flat battery. Another report stated that the fire truck’s water tank was without water.
“They are tasked by law to respond to fire incidents, to save lives and property. They should be ready at all times. Leaving their fire truck with a flat battery or an empty water tank was too much negligence on their part,” Padilla, a former managing editor of this paper and Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent, said.
He expressed confidence that Mayor Jose Espinosa III and the City Council would be taking action in the light of what happened as “La Pazeños deserve better being one of the city’s most populous districts and a fast-growing business hub.”
The origin of the fire and the extent of damages have yet to be ascertained as of this writing. The victims are also hoping for government assistance, including from the City Engineer’s Office to help with the clearing and making sure that the affected houses are safe.
Padilla expressed sadness over the fate of his own family and barangay folks as one of the first calls to action for the re-establishment of the La Paz fire station in the early 2000s was issued by the Sangguniang Barangay of barangay Railway through a barangay resolution.
“I was a barangay councilman serving my second term at that time when I pushed for it with the help of colleagues in the media and City councilor Joshua Alim. It was eventually re-established. Before that, for about two decades, La Paz had none to cater to its fire emergencies,” he recalled. “So, when news came out that La Paz was going to have one, everyone was delighted. Let it not be said today that the fire station of our dreams has failed us and its purpose.”
Padilla is currently chairman of the Filipino community in Gloucestershire, UK and has been working alongside Gloucester MP Richard Graham to serve the needs of Filipinos in that part of UK. Graham, the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the Philippines, visited Iloilo City last year to meet with local business leaders./PN
