MOGPOG, Marinduque – The Fluvia Fire Brigade of South West Flanders, Belgium formally turned over to Philippine Ambassador to Belgium Eduardo Jose A. de Vega their donation of a fire truck for the Marinduque Fire Brigade in a simple ceremony recently at their headquarters in Kortrijk, Belgium.
President of the Fluvia Fire Zone and Mayor of Kuurne Francis Benoit welcomed the Philippine Embassy Team composed of Ambassador de Vega, Consul Charles Andrei P. Macaspac, and Cultural Officer Liza Jane V. Estalilla. The Mayor was joined by other Fluvia Zone officials, namely, Zone Commander Frank Maertens, Policy Officer Wouter Mouton, Firefighter Olivier Calle, and Communications Manager Kaat Nuytens.
During the ceremony, Mayor Benoit thanked Ambassador de Vega for his presence and expressed hopes of strengthening ties with the Philippines through collaborative efforts such as this.
The Ambassador then presented the Mayor with the Certificates of Appreciation on behalf of the Local Government of Marinduque and the Marinduque Fire Department. He also presented the Mayor with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Embassy and a bottle of Philippine rum. Fluvia Zone Commander Frank Maertens then gave the Ambassador as a token of appreciation a set of fire fighting gear which the Ambassador put on as he boarded the donated fire truck. He thanked Mayor Benoit and Fluvia officials for their generous contribution for the welfare and safety of the people of Marinduque.
The Fluvia officials also gave the Embassy team a tour of their facilities and explained to them the latest technologies that they employ to help their fire fighters and volunteers save lives and more efficiently respond to various types of emergencies. Among the new technologies that the Fluvia Fire Brigade regularly makes use of are drones which are a huge help in searching for people who might be possibly trapped inside burning buildings.
The fire truck donation was made possible through the continuing initiatives of Corporal Firefighter Olivier Calle, a Belgian married to Alma Anuba of Marinduque. Calle has also donated some clothes, work materials, and other items to the Marinduque Fire Department.
The Fluvia Fire Zone has been covering a total of 14 municipalities, including Kuurne, and 17 posts since January 1, 2015, when the municipal fire brigades in South West Flanders were merged into one zone. The emergency zone is under the supervision of the Minister of the Interior of Belgium. – With reports from the Department of Foreign Affairs