Boracay Water along with the Boracay Island Special Fire Protection Unit (BISFPU) teamed up in efforts to intensifyfire prevention and safety know-howamong residents and communities in the famed island tourist destination.
Ben Manosca, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Boracay Water shared that raising consciousness on how to avoid fire incidence and what to do when it occurs would save lives and avoid destruction of properties. “Dissemination of information that will instil safety awareness and advocate fire preventionis a vital step in keeping this Island a haven to the tourist, a home to its residents, and in a bigger picture, a prolific part of our economy”, said Manosca.
Apart from raising awareness, Manosca stresses that Boracay Water is coordinating with different groups to promote an effective response system during times of fire. “Water is vital in fire extinguishing operations and so we put it upon ourselves to ensure the continuous reliability and availability of our water service.”
In observance of the Fire Prevention Awareness month, Boracay Water and BISFPU spearheaded a learning session on fire safety which was attended by more than 120 participants and a fire drill which brought together government and private institutions in the island which included the Department of Education in Malay; Boracay Foundation, Incorporated; Boracay Shangri-la Fire Volunteers; Mandarin Fire Volunteers; Boracay Islander; Boracay Fire Rescue and Ambulance Volunteer, Incorporated; KabalikatCivicom; Philippine Red Cross Malay Boracay Chapter; and Barangay Yapak Council.
For extending their invaluable support to the fire operations in the Island, 12 fire volunteers from Boracay Water and 37 more were recognized by BISFPU during the program.
Boracay Water, asubsidiary of Metro Manila’s East Zone water concessionaire Manila Water, was formed in 2009 through a joint venture agreement with the Tourism Infrastructure Authority and Enterprise Zone Authority or TIEZA (formerly known as Philippine Tourism Authority) to operate the water and used water services in the Island of Boracay, Malay, Aklan, particularly in its three barangays — Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak.