Municipality of San Ricardo donated a lot for San Ricardo Fire Station.

The municipality of San Ricardo is 5th class municipality of Southern Leyte. Its population as determined
by the 2015 Census was 10,494. This represented 2.49% of the total population of Southern Leyte province, or
0.24% of the overall population of the Region 8. In 2018 it has 377 registered business establishments.

Presently, the Fire Station of San Ricardo has been using a portion of the municipal gym as temporary fire
station for a long time with SFO2 Michael A. Mamita as the Municipal Fire Marshal. Every year a large number of
properties are destroyed and people die due to fire throughout the Philippines. The municipality believes that fire
safety is very important and a suitable fire station is instrumental in keeping communities safe from destructive
fires for it houses the firetruck, equipment, the office, and a space for the firefighters.

Through the leadership of its Provincial Fire Marshal F/CInsp Dorotheo Claro M. Mocorro, the Municipal
Fire Marshal of San Ricardo Fire Station SFO2 Michael A. Mamita exerted efforts to have a lot to be donated for
San Ricardo Fire Station. Through a resolution the Municipal Council of San Ricardo, Southern Leyte resolved to
donate a lot for Bureau of Fire Protection’s San Ricardo Fire Station and to authorize Municipal Mayor Roy Y.
Salinas to donate a lot approximately 400 sqm located at Brgy. San Antonio, San Ricardo, Southern Leyte. On 14
January 2019, no less than the Regional Director of BFP Region 8, F/SSupt Rico Neil A. Kwan Tiu, received the lot
donation followed by a ground breaking ceremony. The said event was attended by the members of the Municipal
Council and other local officials, staff from the Office of the Regional Director, Assistant Regional Director for
Administration F/Supt Charlie M. Gerzon, Assistant Regional Director for Operations F/Supt Ramil R. Riños,
Provincial Fire Marshal F/CInsp Dorotheo Claro A. Mocorro and the Municipal Fire Marshals of Southern Leyte.

One of the mandates of Bureau of Fire Protection is to establish at least one (1) fire station with adequate
personnel, firefighting facilities and equipment in every provincial capital, city and municipality. Donating a lot for
a fire station is not only a huge advantage for the Bureau of Fire Protection but also a huge service to the
constituents of the Municipality of San Ricardo. Fire protection or prevention is seen as an important role for the
Bureau of Fire Protection, as preventing a fire from occurring in the first place can save lives and property.

Benjamin Franklin once said that by failing to prepare, one is preparing to fail. Hence, construction of the
new San Ricardo Fire Station will start soon.
FO2 Earnswell P Tan
BFP Southern Leyte PIS