Bureau of Fire Protection Central Visayas Valentine event (L-R) F01 Crislor W. Sosas; FO1 Jellianne Faith G Dionio; BFP-7 Regional Director Senior Superintendent Samuel Tadeo; F01 Edem Marie Negrido; F01 Jaenafe Rodriguez; F01 Ludel Namoco and F01 Deidre Marie T. Marikit. (CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
IT was a different kind of Valentine’s Day celebration at the Bureau of Fire Protection office in the region (BFP-7) on Tuesday, as employees traded their government uniforms for civilian clothing that would reveal their relationship status.
A memorandum, signed by BFP Fire Chief Bobby Barbuelo on February 7, assigned a color code to be followed: red for in love, blue for married, green for “in a relationship”, white for single, orange for “still searching”, pink for “long distance love affair”, purple for “it’s complicated”, yellow for “don’t care (about love)”, and black for brokenhearted.
“Since we are wearing our uniform every day, the memorandum allows our employees to wear what they want in this celebration,” BFP-7 Director Samuel Tadeo told Cebu Daily News.
Love on board
FO1 Jaenafe K. Rodriguez, 25, admin clerk at BFP-7, wore a red cocktail dress at work yesterday.
“I choose red because this is the color for love. I am every day in love,” a giggling Rodriguez, told Cebu Daily News.
Rodriguez said that she has been in relationship with a policeman for ten months.
FO1 Jaenafe Rodriguez, one of the contestants of the Bureau of Fire Protection Central Visayas Miss Valentines competition shares her love story with Cebu Daily News. (CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
Their love story began in 2015, on board a barge to Cebu City from Negros Oriental, where they bumped into each other again after a long time and exchanged phone numbers.
Rodriguez and her boyfriend were schoolmates in college at Central Philippine State University in Negros Occidental.
“He told me that I was his crush during college days. Of course I did not notice him because that time I had a boyfriend,” Rodriguez recounted.
As they regularly went out on dates, Rodriguez developed feelings for her former schoolmate.
“Love brings no reason,” she answered when asked why she loves her boyfriend.
Because of their work schedules, they were not able to spend Valentine’s Day together yesterday, but both exchanged greetings.
Black and bitter
For 24-year-old FO1 Jelliane Faith Diono, a records secretary at BFP-7, black was her color code of the day.
Though she has been into a relationship with a fellow fireman for one year and three months, “We have not celebrated Valentine’s Day together for two years already because of work,” she said.
Diono and her boyfriend met in 2015 when they both joined the training to become BFP-7 personnel.
“He pursued me and eventually, we became sweethearts,” she said.
“His schedule is one week off and one week duty. During Valentine’s Day, he has work,” Diono said of her boyfriend assigned at the BFP station in the southwestern town of Malabuyoc, Cebu.
Miss Valentine 2017
Aside from the dress code, female employees of BFP-7 were given flowers by Director Tadeo.
“This might be small but this came from our hearts. I hope that you enjoy your Valentine’s Day well,” said Tadeo in a speech.
A Miss Valentine 2017 competition was also held which was won by FO1 Edem Marie Negrido,
Negrido will be competing for the Miss Fire Olympics 2017 this coming March.