Roxas City has new Fire Chief
ROXAS CITY – The city has a new Fire Chief after the relief of City Fire Marshal Insp. Pancho dela Cruz, on February 18, 2009.
The new chief is Senior Inspector Lester Kennith Gimotea, former Fire Marshal of Victorias City in Negros Occidental. Gimotea graduated with a degree of Political Science at Central Philippine University in Iloilo and completed his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Iloilo. He got his Masters Degree in Public Administration, Major in Human Resource Management at Guimaras State College.
Gimotea is the son of a retired fire marshal of Iloilo City, Chief Superintendent Edgar G. Gimotea.
In an interview after a brief turn-over of command held at BFP-Roxas City Office, Gimotea emphasized that it is natural and normal as an officer to be assigned or to take another position with a very short notice from the senior officer. “… I hope that all our fire officers will give their support to my programs as well as to my style of leadership so as not to compromise the bureau’s duty to serve the people of Roxas.”
Gimotea was warmly welcomed by the Sangguniang Panglungsod when he paid them a visit during their regular session on February 19, this year.
It was remembered that former City Fire Marshal Dela Cruz was relieved due to reports of overstaying as Fire Marshal, being short in rank or of qualification and unverified allegation of irregularities in the Office of the Bureau of Fire Protection.
In an interview, however, Dela Cruz believes that he is a victim of politicking within the Bureau of Fire. “The evils (referring to his colleagues who masterminded his relief) used the conflicts of our higher ups in order to unseat me,” Dela Cruz added.
On the other hand, in a separate discussion at Abri-Aga, a daily news and public affairs program at the local cable television, Dela Cruz refuted the three issues hurled against him. He argued that his position as the Bureau Chief requires special skills that are needed to manage and enable it to deliver the best service for the people. “This is what the law requires in order to stay in the position even beyond the three-year limit,” he stressed.
Dela Cruz further said that the law only requires two complete years in the College of Laws to assume the Fire Marshal position. Dela Cruz is a graduate of College of Laws.
He also emphasized that the allegation of irregularities is not true. “The truth of the matter is that I minimized the red tapes in the bureau by creating a Non-Govermental Organization (NGO) within the bureau in a form of cooperative. Whatever monetary incentives given by the clients, as has been usually practiced in the bureau even before I assumed the office, now goes to the cooperative and are given proper receipt”.
As of press time, Dela Cruz is in a floating status as he is assigned in the Bureau of Fire Protection Provincial Office with no personnel under his supervision.