Fire victims get assistance

Cebu City councilor Gerardo Carillo said the city has provided immediate assistance to the fire victims like packed meals since last night.

At present, he said they are assessing how many families are affected so they could provide construction materials, goods and food to them.

Carillo, action officer of the Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council, said that after three days, they will stop giving packed meals to the fire victims because they would already be providing them kitchen utensils and stoves.

The fire victims will also be receiving from the city government canned goods, rice and noodles by that time, he added.

Further, Carillo said that they will be giving tents to the affected families as their temporary shelter while rebuilding their houses. The city is yet to deliver the construction materials for the affected residents.

Carillo said the victims, who are beneficiaries of the city’s socialized housing program, can put up their homes again in their old site.

The blaze in barangay Sawang Calero rendered 134 families homeless. These families are composed of 577 individuals - adults and children. 

Barangay captain Benjamin Sabate during an interview with The FREEMAN revealed that the Department of Social Welfare Services in coordination with the local officials extended help to the fire victims by distributing relief goods immediately after the incident.

Aside from clothing, the fire victims were also provided food and drinks that night.

Sabate said the barangay council is still working on the release of their calamity fund scheduled to happen tonight.

The barangay officials sheltered the fire victims at the San Nicolas Sports Complex and Sawang Calero Day Care Center where portable toilets and potable water are available.

Philippine National Red Cross-Cebu chapter also distributed relief goods like five kilos of rice, sardines and packs of noodles.

Meanwhile, the Cebu City Bureau of Fire Protection has not finished yet its investigation regarding the origin of the fire. But fire scene investigator, SFO2 Alicasim Espinola told The FREEMAN that they would have the Campuesto brothers - Leverato and Gerome – subpoenaed to shed light on the incident. – Wenna A. Berondo, Edwin Ian Melecio with Princess Mondejar/MEEV