MEDINA, Misamis Oriental — Fire safety lessons learned during Medina’s first Fire Olympics must be applied to real-life emergencies rather than treated as a festival competition, Mayor Marianne Ellorin-Chan said Thursday, July 2, 2026.


The mayor made the statement during the First Mayor Marianne E. Chan Fire Olympics. The event served as a major highlight of the week-long joint celebrations marking the 77th Araw ng Parokya, the 78th Araw ng Medina, and the 10th Medina Ginataan Festival.


Chan urged barangay fire response teams and local community stakeholders to consistently apply tactical training provided by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to minimize structural damage and protect neighborhoods during active fire incidents.


“Seryosohon nato ang atong pagkat-on sa tanan nga gitudlo sa atong kabomberohan,” Chan said, stressing that unified community teamwork remains crucial to keeping Medina residents secure.


According to municipal logs, the safety competition evaluates and sharpens the technical knowledge and practical field skills of barangay emergency responders.


Medina Fire Olympics 2026 Category Standings


Competition CategoryOverall ChampionInstitutional Affiliation / Location
Inter-Barangay CategoryBarangay DukaMunicipality of Medina
Stakeholders CategoryAxelum Fire Response TeamAxelum Resources Corp.


Barangay Tambagan Captain Tarcito Bayhon welcomed the municipal safety initiative, noting that the activities provide villages with direct, hands-on experience in operational emergency response and active fire preparedness.


The corporate sector also noted the importance of the event. Engr. Dexter Agustin, head of Safety Engineering at Axelum Resources Corp., stated that the firm supports community-based safety exercises and encouraged neighboring municipalities to deploy similar

readiness models.


SFO4 Julieta Gala-Wapanio, Medina municipal fire marshal, said the competitive drills tested response teams across three distinct operational events:


  1. Hose Laying and Replacement of a Busted Hose
  2. Bucket Relay
  3. Flammable Liquid Fire Extinguishment


The field exercises reflect an ongoing effort among Northern Mindanao local government units and municipal fire marshals to institutionalize community-based disaster management and rapid emergency response protocols.