The fire truck that Hopia built

MANILA, Philippines - Gerry Chua, owner of the Binondo icon Eng Bee Tin, may be known as Mr. Ube for his original ube hopia, but he can just as well be called the godfather of TxtFire Philippines Foundation, a non-profit organization that has created an innovative network of information dissemination on fire alerts. As third generation Eng Bee Tin owner and a 34-year volunteer firefighter, Chua’s lives as hopia hawker and firefighter have unfolded side by side and are inextricably intertwined.

When he took over the family business, Chua recalls that Eng Bee Tin was the first hopia with a jingle – he breaks into song: “Hopiang ‘di mabili…” to the tune of La Donna e Mobile. Indeed, the Eng Bee Tin that hordes of people from here and abroad enjoy today was not always a hit.

Chua explains, since they used to supply wholesale, the old recipe produced a very dense, hard hopia – even if you threw it against the wall, nothing would happen to it, he jokes.

By the time Chua inherited the business, they were already deep in financial problems. Chua had to think hard to come up with a way to make his product sell. First, he tried to tinker with the original recipe, using corn oil instead of lard to make the hopia softer. Still, there was no improvement in sales.

During this time, the penniless businessman had taken to spending every day in the grocery store, just taking advantage of the air conditioning. Since he never bought anything, he was eventually mistaken as a shoplifter. One day, he noticed a guard following him around the store.

Finally, he asked a saleslady, “Ano ang pinaka mabentang ice cream dito? (What is the bestselling ice cream flavor here?)” When she answered ube, Chua had a “eureka moment.” He bought a few jars of ube halaya and made his first batch of ube hopia.

“Aim high,” Chua says, was and still is, his business motto, despite all those who tried to dissuade him from his business goals. Finally with a product that he could bet his name on, Eng Bee Tin got its big break when it was featured on Cory Quirino’s travel show and brought to the US by exporter William Lim.

Now a successful businessman, Chua says one of the most important things is to give back and do good deeds. For him, it was easy to decide on a beneficiary – the volunteer fire brigade. Ever since he was young, Chua has harbored a fascination with fire.

As a child, he recalls chasing after fire trucks as they rushed by, sirens blaring. At 16, Chua joined the volunteer fire brigade, another long-standing tradition in Binondo. As soon as Chua was able to give back, he donated a fire truck to Binondo’s volunteer firefighters. With his business booming, Chua continued to donate what has become a Chinatown icon – the ube-colored fire trucks.

Chua also opened Café Mezzanine above the Eng Bee Tin store and the old-time favorite Chuan Kee eatery on Ongpin Street. Running for 15 years now, 100 percent of the store’s earnings goes to the fire brigade.

Chua was even born on March 1, the first day of Fire Prevention Month. This year, he celebrates his 50th birthday and his 34th year as a firefighter volunteer.

Based on his experience, one of the most important things is communication. Thus, Chua developed TxtFire. The foundation is the second biggest blood donor to Red Cross, conducts relief operations, and offers fire safety training.

But, the most important role of TxtFire is to disseminate constantly updated information to fire brigades all over the country, coordinating thousands of volunteers. With TxtFire, anyone who witnesses a fire can text the command center its location and, once confirmed, the alarm will be signaled to all available firefighters and fire stations in the vicinity. With TxtFire technology, firefighters may also access a map and find the fastest route to the scene of the fire.

Anyone may also text the command center to receive information on the location of fires around the metropolis. TxtFire now has 425,000 people registered in its network. All text messages sent to TxtFire are free.

The Binondo command center is built for any disaster. Chua adds, it is equipped to run for up to 60 days without power and has 60 servers that can send thousands of messages per minute.

At TxtFire’s command center, volunteers monitor the city 24/7 through various radio frequencies, text alerts received through the TxtFire network, and on two cameras that overlook the city. Soon Chua hopes to set up 16 cameras, giving the command center even wider coverage. TxtFire’s software was developed by Engineer Reggie Zaragoza and Chua’s son, Gerik.

TxtFire’s communications chairman Philips Kiok Kan also designed what they call an ICE (In Case of Emergency) Box. With the simple push of a button, an alarm will be sent directly to the command center and to the whole TxtFire network. They have so far installed some 50 ICE Box units in schools and hospitals nationwide.

Fire, Chua says, is one of the worst disasters that one may encounter. As a firefighter, he says the Ozone Disco fire is one incident that will be etched in his memory forever because of all the young lives lost. Unlike typhoons, floods, and other natural calamities, Chua says that fires are even more devastating because they could have been prevented.

Thus, Chua’s major advocacy now is fire prevention. TxtFire Foundation conducts fire drills every day in different schools and offices.

Chua says that some of the top fire prevention guidelines include presence of mind and knowledge of fire prevention tips. TxtFire has burned – pun intended – some 80,000 CDs containing fire prevention tips and information and have been distributing these for free to as many people as they can.

As he celebrates his birthday on the first day of Fire Prevention Month, Chua says that he hopes that more people will register in the TxtFire network. He also hopes that more establishments will support the cause by providing discounts to the volunteer firefighters. Chua has further plans to help the volunteer brigade by setting up an educational fund and scholarship program for the volunteer firefighters. He looks forward to procuring a helicopter for TxtFire to further aid in the foundation’s monitoring efforts.

Today, March 3, a parade of 170 fire trucks will mark the opening of Fire Prevention Month, but Chua persists in reminding us that we must be careful and alert at all times. He says, “Make every day fire prevention day.”

Register to TxtFire by texting REG <space> FULL NAME <space> ADDRESS to 0922-6-888888 (Sun); 0918-6-888888 (Smart); or 0916-4-888888 (Globe). For more information, visit www.txtfire.net.