FOURTEEN Cebuano artists are giving decommissioned Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (Eruf) fire helmets a second life as works of art, with the pieces to be auctioned to raise funds for the organization.
The helmets once belonged to Eruf personnel who have since passed away. Donated to Eruf, they are now being transformed into artworks for the Cebuano Artists Decommissioned Fire Helmet Art Auction, turning objects associated with rescue work into pieces that carry memories of those who wore them.
The participating artists are Lida Maria Aguilar, Kenneth Cobonpue, Ramon de Dios, John Dinglasa, Pierre Famador II, Kenneth Gequillo, Stephanie Honrado, Florentino “Jun” Impas Jr., Dennis “Sio” Montera, Celso Pepito, Fe Madrid Pepito, Anton Quisumbing, Lucilo “Jojo” Sagayno and Marlone Ylanan.
Rather than being set aside, the helmets have become canvases for the artists, each bringing a personal interpretation to objects linked to Eruf’s decades of emergency response work.
Among the participating artists is Cebu-based non-figurative artist Dennis “Sio” Montera, whose work is titled Threshold.
For Montera, working on a helmet was a departure from his usual practice.
“The work really is something different for me because it’s not on canvas but on a helmet,” Montera said.
Despite the unusual medium, he retained the visual language he has developed through years of process-based abstraction, building up, scratching, distressing and altering layers of paint until he reaches a point where the work feels complete.
Montera’s approach is largely gestural, meaning he works without a preconceived image. He was initially trained in realism but later pursued a modernist, non-figurative approach during his master’s and doctoral studies.
For Threshold, Montera drew from his understanding of the risks and sacrifices faced by Eruf rescuers. The scratches and distressed surfaces of the work represent the vulnerability and wounds of people who repeatedly put themselves in harm’s way to save others.
“I wanted to show that in my own art to, of course, give honor to all Eruf volunteers,” he said.
Montera also drew from a personal connection to Eruf. He recalled a cousin who volunteered with the organization for many years before passing away at a young age.
That memory, along with his understanding of the demands of emergency response work, helped him connect emotionally with the project.
The title Threshold, he said, refers to the boundary between life and death, reflecting the situations rescuers encounter when responding to emergencies.
“You don’t think of yourself anymore, you think of the people that you’re going to save, and the fire that you’re going to put out,” he said.
Another participating artist, Pierre A. Famador II, centered his work on a simpler but equally important idea: pag-tinabangay, or helping one another.
Famador said the situations faced by emergency responders inspired him to create an artwork depicting different hearts coming together.
For him, helping others should not be limited to trained rescuers or people considered heroes. Anyone can contribute, whether during disasters and emergencies or simply by caring for family and others.
“Maski dili hero, or pwede mo tabang,” Famador said.
(Even if you’re not a hero, you can still help.)
He hopes viewers will be reminded that helping others can be more meaningful than thinking only of oneself.
Famador volunteered for the project and worked on his piece intermittently for about a month while balancing other commitments.
The helmet art project is part of Eruf’s celebration of 40 years of service in Cebu.
For four decades, Eruf has provided emergency medical and pre-hospital care, rescue and rehabilitation services, disaster response and training to communities across Cebu. Its personnel have responded to road crashes, fires, search-and-rescue operations, hazardous incidents and disasters, often placing themselves in dangerous situations to protect and save others.
The organization continues to be guided by its battle cry: “We serve… so that others may live.”
Through the auction, the artists are contributing their time, talent and creativity to help support Eruf’s continuing operations.
For Montera, the project is also an opportunity to give back to an organization he knows faces challenges in securing funding.
“I’ve also known that Eruf as an institution, you know, doesn’t really get the attention it wants in terms of funding,” he said. “Whatever the artwork fetches, well, it will be my contribution for their hard work.”
The project gives the helmets a new role without losing the significance of their past. Once worn by people who protected others, they now carry the artists’ interpretations of sacrifice, remembrance and pag-tinabangay while helping support the organization those rescuers served.
For Eruf, which is marking four decades of service, the auction turns remembrance into support for the mission captured in its enduring battle cry: service so that others may live.