Blazing trails for service and public safety
Credit to Author: MAAN D’ASIS PAMARAN| Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2019 16:27:45 +0000
HE grew up in a time when one needed to be steady and sturdy. “My generation’s parents did not believe in coddling. We were not spoon-fed solutions; we had to figure out how to get results on our own,” says laywer Dionisio Donato “Dindo” Garciano, the former mayor of Rizal province’s Baras town who is now the president and CEO of Kronenburg Philippines, a joint venture that he formed with Dutch company Kronenburg BV.
This was how Garciano explains his upbringing in a family in which he is the unico hijo: “I told my wife, Victoria, when we were still boyfriend-girlfriend, ‘You will be marrying a prince,’” he jokes.
He is strong-willed, to the point that he was able to convince his father to allow him to pursue law, despite the latter’s insistence that he start working after graduating with a social sciences degree.
“There was a [television] series I used to watch about lawyer Anthony Petrocelli (played by Barry Newman), and I idolized how he handled cases to defend the innocent,” Garciano says. He also met lawyers in his Cursillo movement, and he was impressed with how eloquent and confident they were.
That strong will led Garciano to run for office back in the late 1990s, even though he was considered an “outsider,” having grown up in Manila and only spent weekends in their ancestral home in Baras. To introduce himself, he started going around the municipality, reaching even its most remote areas. When he won as mayor in his second attempt three years later, he utilized his can-do attitude to bring about improvements in the lives of those people whose hands he shook, even those way up in the most far-flung villages.
From 2001 to 2004, the mayor built “monuments” — the new municipal hall, a gymnasium, and cemented roads that lead to Sitio Pader and Sitio Seedling, which were previously inaccessible. He also had artesian wells constructed to serve the mountainside communities. “Those 30 artesian wells are still there, with the words ‘Tubig ni Dindo’ (Dindo’s Water) and the people tell me, every time they drink water or take a bath, they think of me,” he says, smiling.
Lives matter more
His mayoral stint also offered him important linkages to the business community. “Because of my local government experience, I became part of the European Chamber of Commerce’s Committee on Local Governments, representing the chambers of Europe, America and Australia in the Senate and [House of Representatives in] their advocacy of doing ease of business in the country. This was pro bono or for free,” Garciano explains.
“When the Dutch company Kronenburg was looking for a local partner who is familiar with government processes, the European Chamber of Commerce recommended me. So ‘yung pro bono, naging pro bonus! (So the pro bono became pro bonus!),” he says with a laugh.
As Kronenberg Philippines chief, Garciano has big orders to fulfill. Based on Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) statistics, the company needs about 1,700 more firetrucks, with a deficiency amounting to about P70 billion.
He is glad for the support of President Rodrigo Duterte in his mission of bringing quality firefighting equipment to the country. “He (Duterte) understands the value of rescue capabilities, and looks more on the quality rather than the price. Under present laws, lowest bids are awarded the contract — this is something that the President and I don’t conform to. With the lowest process, you don’t necessarily get the best quality — and with rescue equipment, this is very important, kasi buhay ang nakasalalay diyan (because lives are at stake there).”
His firetrucks may be “more expensive” than the other trucks we have here, but Garciano says the brand is one of the best, if not the best, because of all its certifications.
“They are customized according to the specifications of the BFP regarding the materials to be used and the strength of the tank. We supply them with trucks that have a reinforced polyester body to make it sturdy, and the pressure from the water tanks will be have the force needed for use on tall buildings,” he says.
Even the ladders are designed for city rescues. “We have buildings now that go as high as 60 floors. What if there is a fire in a high-rise? How will you reach the 50th floor? We have ladders that can do that, they are hydraulic, parang elevator,” he adds.
The firm doesn’t have private clients, but it supplies firetrucks to airports in order for them to meet international standards.
Back in the political scene
While Garciano is content with his business and his teaching career at the University of Asia and the Pacific and at the University of Rizal System, he says he was prevailed upon by Rizal Gov. Nini Ynares to run as representative of Rizal’s second district.
“I think my experience as a mayor can help because I am in touch with the people and I know their situation along with this are my degrees in law and public administration, along with my pending PhD on development studies.”
In the House, he aspires to be a member on the committees on public safety and transportation, “because that is where my advocacies are,” he explains.
He likewise wishes to be on the housing committee, as Rizal is where most informal settlers are relocated. “We want to look into how we can improve their lives there. In San Jose, Montalban, for example, you get the feeling that they were abandoned there without support services. Then, if they don’t pay their amortization, they are evicted. In my opinion, they should be given a grace period for the payments and evicting them should be the last resort because they will go back to being informal settlers.”
Safety first
The communities where informal settlers live in highly urbanized areas are also the most at risk for fires. Because of the light building materials of their shanties, a small fire can soon become an uncontrollable blaze that can spread very quickly.
“Our situation in the cities is dikit-dikit ang mga bahay (that these houses are crammed). There’s no electricity and they resort to candles or gas lamps or use improper wiring. Fire prevention education must be intensified,” Garciano says.
“We are a fire-prone country,” he adds. “Fires will always be there but the chances of saving a lot of lives and minimizing the damage to property will be greater if we have the right equipment. Top of mind among the people is that there is help coming — may proteksiyon na dadating na makakasugpo sa sakuna (protection that can prevent disasters is forthcoming).”
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