MANILA, March 6, 2015—In line with observance of March as “Fire Prevention Month,” a Catholic priest has joined the clamor for more efficient information dissemination and an awareness drive that seek to educate the public on the risk of fire and how to avoid it, expressing assurance that the Church fully supports such an initiative.
The month of March is nationally observed as “Fire Prevention Month.” (Photo: CBCPNews)
Safety measures
According to Fr. Jerome R. Secillano, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)’s Permanent Committee on Public Affairs (PCPA), the Church can do her part in this regard by constantly giving the faithful after each Eucharistic celebration safety precautions they can apply to minimize the likelihood of fire breaking out in their communities.
“It is a good thing if we include these safety reminders in the announcements after every Mass. We can also tackle this topic during one of our pastoral council meetings. We should also mention this to the various parish ministries,” he said.
Ignorance, negligence
Secillano, who also runs the Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro Parish in Sampaloc, Manila, told Radyo Veritas in an interview that most often lack of knowledge leading to negligence lies at the root of many fire incidents.
Moreover, the priest underscored the need to instill in all their responsibilities, as well as the importance of safety.
Faulty wiring
Based on data provided by the Bureau Fire Protection (BFP), as many as 615 fire cases have been recorded between Jan. and Feb. 2015, many of which were caused by faulty wiring.
As recently as Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 2 and 3, fire wrought havoc over a densely populated residential area in Parola Compound, Tondo, Manila, leaving no less than 3,000 families homeless. (Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCP News)
