Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda hands the financial assistance to the relatives of five rescuers who were killed while saving flood victims in San Miguel town, Bulacan at the height of Super Typhoon Karding last Sept. 25. (Photo courtesy of Pampanga PIO)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—The Pampanga provincial government has given a total of P500,000 in financial aid to the families of five rescuers who died while saving flood victims in Bulacan at the height of Super Typhoon “Karding” (international name Noru) last Sept. 25.
Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda handed checks worth P100,000 each to the widows of George Agustin, Troy Agustin, Marby Bartolome, Jerson Resurrection, and Narciso Calayag Jr. at the Capitol here on Friday.
These members of the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) have been called the “Fallen 5.”
The Pampanga legislative council approved a resolution assisting the bereaved families.
In the resolution, the Fallen 5 were also hailed for helping extricate Kapampangan workers trapped under the rubble of the Chuzon Supermarket that collapsed during a magnitude 6 earthquake that hit Porac town in April 2019.
Michelle Resurrection, the wife of the Fallen 5’s team leader, said Pampanga’s help would help them recover from the loss of their breadwinners.
The deaths of the five rescuers should serve as an eye-opener to the need to provide hazard pay and positions to those directly involved in disaster response, according to Angie Blanco, Pampanga DRRO officer.
Pineda gave casual and permanent positions to 39 of the 41 rescuers last year to be able to protect them. INQ
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