IT IS disheartening to hear five responders who were supposed to save and protect people'd lives themselves suffered the fate of those they are sworn to save and protect.
The five responders, all members of the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office are still in the prime of their lives, but perished while rescuing trapped residents in San Miguel, Bulacan during the onslaught of super typhoon Karding on Sunday, September 25, 2022.
They were all adequately trained for the rescue job but the force of floodwater was too much for them and they all drowned. Their bodies were discovered by their team mates hours later.
Of course, their respective families were shocked by the incident and are helpless on who to blame for this. They were, after all, performing official function.
Governor Daniel Fernando and other provincial officials were all engulfed by grief due to the loss of five of their finest rescuers/responders. They can only heave a collective sigh of grief and disbelief. Financial assistance is underway to the families of the victim responders.
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At the Clark DEvelopment Corporation, now headed by the former Energy Regulatory Commission chair Agnes Devanadera, things are looking hopeful for the rank and file of the state-owned firm.
A promise of thorough review of the Compensation and Position Classification System has been made by the incoming head of CDC and most of the firm's workers are optimistic of a fair and equitable result of said review and will give them the benefits due them instead of lessening or otherwise removing them (the benefits) altogether.
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I heard from Mabalacat City Administrator Franco Alejo S. Madlangbayan that there is a realignment of consultants to make them relevant to the scope of work they signed for.
I think this is a very good move as the city hall gets the best efforts of every consultant hired and are not just idling time away. Consultants are hired to serve various purposes, be it medical, legal, journalistic or technical. Anyway, they are compensated fairly well.