DOLE to honor driver fired for rescue of 6 persons in flood-hit Liloan, Cebu

A wing van driver dismissed from work for using a company vehicle in rescuing persons swept away by flood in Barangay Cotcot, Liloan, Cebu will be honored by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 7.

The agency is also set to investigate the owner of the wing van, citing there are no grounds for the dismissal of the driver.

Earlier, a video of the wing van driver circulated which earned him praise. 

Francis Anthony Narvasa, the driver from Villaba, Leyte put his life at stake, along with two assistants, to rescue at least six individuals swept away by raging floodwater while Typhoon Tino leashed its fury in Cebu on November 4, 2025.

It was learned that a policeman requested Narvasa to assist the residents.

However, his heroic deed did not sit well with the owner of the vehicle.

His employment was severed.

Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro who heard of his rescue efforts has praises for the driver.

However, when she learned of the dismissal, she ordered immediately the hiring of Narvasa as a driver at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.

Further, DOLE 7 praised the courage and compassion that Narvasa demonstrated to save Liloan residents.

Narvasa will be honored in a formal ceremony in December 2025 on the occasion of DOLE’s anniversary.

Furthermore, DOLE 7 Regional Director Atty. Roy Buenafe said that a fact-finding investigation is up on the drastic termination of the employee.

Buenafe emphasized that Narvasa was not accorded due process.

Narvasa should have been given the chance to explain his side to the incident prior to the dismissal, Buenafe said.

Moreover, Buenafe underscored that the driver’s act of heroism should have been commended and rewarded, not slapped with drastic dismissal.

As DOLE 7 learned that Narvasa and the wing van owner are both from Leyte, the agency has coordinated with DOLE Eastern Visayas on the probe. — GMA Regional TV

The investigation will also assist Narvasa in claiming his benefits.