Boy who saved icons from burning Christmas tree honored

LUCENA City—When bibingka vendor Jerric Rivera, 17, rushed to the burning giant Christmas tree in Perez park here last Tuesday, his was an impulse decision just like the rest of the pack of kibitzers—to watch.

“But when I saw the icons of Baby Jesus with Mama Mary and Saint Joseph in a manger at the base of the burning tree, I did not think of personal danger. I immediately acted to save them from burning,” Rivera said in Filipino as he recalled his experience.

Rivera, a high-school dropout, said what motivated him to save the Nativity scene was his belief, nurtured since childhood, that the religious icons are the symbols of Christmas.

“If I just stood there and did nothing to prevent the burning of the icons, I will surely feel guilty. And I don’t want to have a feeling of guilt, that’s what pushed me to save them,” said Rivera, son of a fish ball vendor and plain housewife in Barangay (village) Cotta.

The courageous act of Rivera and three other youngsters—Jervin Planas, 16; Yorly Piamonte, 19; and Marjohn Barreto, 23, who also helped in putting out the fire, was recorded in part in video footage and photos taken by employees of the provincial government during the fire.

The staff at the provincial tourism office immediately searched for the four youngsters.

Webster Letargo, executive assistant of Governor David Suarez who met the four in his office, said the boys was to be given due recognition by the provincial government in a children’s program scheduled Friday.

“Aside from formal recognition of their bravery and courageous acts, Governor Suarez prepared some Christmas gifts for them. We consider them as heroes. Their strong sense of volunteerism is worthy of emulation,” Letargo said.

When he reached the fire scene, some 30 meters from his bibingka stall, Rivera said he saw lots of kibitzers.

“Some boys were saving the statues of animals and the three kings outside the manger but no one dared to go under the burning tree to save the Baby Jesus,” he recalled.

The teenage boy who earns P50 a day from helping tend the bibingka stall at the park said he grabbed a red cloth he picked up from one of the stalls near the burning tree to protect his body from falling ashes and burning debris and rushed toward the base of the blazing tree to save the revered life-sized statues.

He said he went back under the tree three times to save the three religious icons, which he put in a spot far from the blazing giant Christmas tree.

“I spent a longer time with Mama Mary because her statue was tied with wire which I untied with my bare hands,” he recalled. “I’m lucky because I did not suffer any injuries. I believe that they (the religious icons) protected me,” said the boy, who comes from a devout Catholic family.

The Quezon provincial government’s 56-foot tall Christmas tree festooned with coconut husks and multicolored lights caught fire on Tuesday.

Heavy rains had soaked the tree’s wiring which could have caused the lights to spark and start a fire when these were switched on, according to initial investigation conducted by firemen and provincial officials.

The giant holiday display, with a Nativity scene at its base, was first opened to the public last Monday evening, which coincided with the start of the three-day Christmas bazaar and trade fair.

Not wanting to dampen the Yuletide mood at the park, a provincial official announced that the burnt Christmas tree would be replaced with a new one made from steel pole and wires.

“The first order of Governor Suarez was to immediately build a new Christmas tree and all scheduled programs and activities at the park will continue as scheduled,” Letargo said in an interview over dzCT-FM.

The giant Christmas icon was a “labor of love” by local officials, employees, coconut farmers and donors who all shared their resources and manpower to build the huge holiday display that symbolized their common aspirations to rehabilitate the ailing coconut industry.