IN MEMORY OF DAUGHTER KC

GRIEF writ over his face at apparently recalling the death of his daughter in their Makati home in a pre-Christmas blaze in 2004, House Speaker Jose C. de Venecia, Jr. donated the first two of 30 asbestos firefighting suits to two fire stations in his native city of Dagupan last week.

Imported from Austria at $5,000 each inclusive of taxes, the fire protection suits were given to the Dagupan City Fire Station and the Panda Volunteer Fire Brigade in memory of his daughter, KC, who he believed could have been saved had the Makati firemen responding to the big fire at his Dasmarinas, Makati home been equipped with the full-protection suits.

Fire departments of 28 other major cities in the country will get the asbestos suits, De Venecia said, after he turns them over to the Department of Interior and Local Governments and the Bureau of Fire Protection thru Director Rogelio Asignado.

De Venecia said he had been working with the DILG and BFP since after the family tragedy in order to strengthen fire departments all over the country.

“I am not only sharing my pork barrel in Pangasinan but with all the provinces in the Philippines in order to protect senior citizens, the disabled citizens , babies, children and others who are trapped in fires,” he said, a slight quiver in his voice at the allusion to children like his own KC.

He recalled that he and his eldest son Joey tried to save KC when they realized she was still inside the house but they were turned back by the strong fire and smoke. A defective Christmas light reportedly caused the fire in the De Venecia home.

De Venecia asked other local officials, including congressmen, to use their own pork barrel or internal revenue allotments (IRA) to buy similar full-protection suits for their fire departments to further assure safety of their constituents.

Some two months ago, he and wife Gina inaugurated a ward at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila exclusively meant to serve burn victims.