Many PH towns still without fire trucks – Roxas
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines—Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said here Wednesday the government planned to acquire hundreds of police cars and fire trucks as one-third of the country’s municipalities still did not have fire trucks and those that had were having to make do with 20-year-old models.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Mindanao Barangay StraTreegic Forest Project (BSFP) he attended with Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, Roxas said that of the 1,490 municipalities in the Philippines, 558 had no fire engines yet.
Of the 932 towns that had fire trucks, 440 of them had models older than 20 years, he said.
Roxas said to remedy the situation, the government planned to distribute new fire engines this year. But because the government could not afford to give one to each town at once, many towns would have to wait until next year.
“We have to realize that not all of the towns can have their fire trucks this year,” Roxas said.
Roxas said he had tasked the Bureau of Fire Protection to help the national government identify which towns should be given priority in the distribution of the new fire engines.
“Three hundred and eighty fire trucks will be distributed this year,” he said. “The other towns which will not get one this year will get theirs next year,” Roxas added.
For Northern Mindanao, 19 fire trucks were up for distribution this year, according to BFP director Lindy Lauzon.
He said towns in the hinterlands of Lanao del Norte were among those given priority.
He said fire stations would also be built in towns that do not have any yet.
Roxas said the government was also buying about 2,000 police vehicles this year “so every town will get one.”
Roxas said cities were not included in the planned purchase because they could well afford to procure their own squad cars.
“In the next few weeks, notice to bid for the vehicles will be opened and we hope to distribute the vehicles this year,” he said.
Roxas said even areas led by non-Aquino allies will get police vehicles.
“We would like to assure you that there is no politics here; we are working to give everyone a fire truck and a police vehicle,” he said.
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