Caloocan City’s 1st Fire and Rescue Paralympics was held on Monday, June 26 at the Buena Park Sports Complex. The event was made possible through the collaboration of the city government’s Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) and Bureau of Fire Protection – Caloocan City (BFP-Caloocan).
The games featured various different activities such as duck-cover-hold; proper use of fire extinguishers; crawling outside of confined spaces; stop, drop and roll, and visual alarms. The participants were timed and rated based on their execution.
City Mayor Dale Gonzalo “Along” Malapitan lauded the paralympic games for its aim in disaster risk reduction and emphasized his call for everyone to show respect to one another regardless of differences. He also vowed to continue his administration’s efforts in creating a safe and inclusive city for his constituents.
“Masaya po tayo sa magandang hangarin ng Fire and Rescue Paralympics na bigyan ng sapat na kaalaman ang mga PWD sa emergency response at disaster preparedness. Malaking tulong po ito sa ating mga kababayan lalo na ngayon na panahon na naman ng mga bagyo at iba pang kalamidad,” Mayor Along said.
“Patuloy po nating ipadama ang respeto at pagmamahal sa ating kababayan na PWD. Asahan po ninyo na laging isusulong ng pamahalaang lungsod ang kaligtasan, karapatan, at pagkakapantay-pantay ng lahat ng Batang Kankaloo,” he added.
Key officials from the local government and the BFP were present in the event including PDAO Officer-in-Charge Michael Ramos, BFP-NCR Director Nahum Tarroza, and BFP-Caloocan Fire Chief Jeffrey Atienza.
Mr. Ramos thanked Mayor Along for his support to the event, while Chief Tarroza welcomed the initiative of BFP-Caloocan.
“Nagpapasalamat po tayo kay Mayor Along dahil sa kanyang suporta, napagtuunan ng pansin ang mga PWD lalo na sa disaster preparedness dahil ang mga may kapansanan ang pinaka-vulnerable sa oras ng sakuna, lalo na sa sunog,” Mr. Ramos said.
“Malapit sa akin ang mga PWD dahil ang eldest sister ko, nagkaroon ng spinal injury that resulted to paraplegia. That’s why I support this initiative kasi gusto ko rin, thinking outside the box. Ayoko na routine o reports lang ang mandate ng BFP,” Chief Tarroza stated.
Team Blue, composed of members from Barangay 14, 70, 35, 127 and 165 and led by Ms. Rose Junio, won the said competition.
