BFP personnel recover P23M worth of valuables, cash in Antique mall

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Speaking of integrity, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-San Jose Fire Station declared that millions of pesos worth of jewelries, cash and valuables were recovered from the rubbles of the burnt Gaisano Grand Mall in Antique province.

In a Facebook post, the BFP-San Jose Station declared that its personnel “successfully retrieved cash, jewelries, and other valuables amounting to P23,032,937.75 and were all turned over to their rightful owners.”

It added that “efforts of the firefighters of this station, with the leadership of its station command Fire Senior Inspector Ulyses Paco, to protect and ensure that no unauthorized personnel could enter the fire scene have paid off when during the retrieval operation, as not a single thing went missing.”

Further, “this only proves that this bureau upholds integrity, value honesty and performs their sworn duties with pride and honor.”

Fire Senior Superintendent Jerry Candido, BFP-6 regional director, confirmed earlier that firefighters have also recovered 1,958 pieces assorted jewelry worth P6 million from a jewelry shop stall.

According to the store’s inventory, the jewelries are all accounted for.

“I’m so happy of the honesty they have shown,” Candido said.

It took almost two days for firefighters to completely put out the massive fire that gobbled Gaisano Grand Mall on June 17.