CEBU, Philippines – Each of the 786 families left homeless by the fire in Barangay T. Padilla last Monday will receive building materials worth P5,000 from the city government within two weeks, said city treasurer Ofelia Oliva.
It usually takes the city between two to three months to donate building materials to fire victims.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama ordered for the immediate distribution of the building materials to help the 3,346 fire victims.
And to strengthen the city's preparedness for disasters like fire, Rama also ordered the City Treasurers Office, the City Disaster and Coordinating Council as well as the city accounting and other departments concerned, to implement advance procurement of building materials and other goods.
Rama said that having a stockpile of building materials, the victims will not have to wait for months but only days before they can start rebuilding their homes.
It will also save the city from paying more. The current procedure causes delays because they can only conduct the bidding after the disaster.
Competitive bidding takes time and is usually limited to big establishments that have big capital. Rama said that since procurement is through credit basis, the city has to always pay additional.
"Any utang available will always bring the price high and it deprives participation, kato rang dako'g capital ang maapil, ang gagmay di kaapil kay dugay man ta kabayad," he said.
But Councilor Jose Daluz said that the purchase of building materials should not supposedly undergo bidding because any purchase for the purpose of assistance to calamities is the only exception to the Commission on Audit's rules.
"I don't want to hear any more months before materials are released, months before transactions are paid. I don't want anyone responsible to be delayed. They will be facing the consequences before me," Rama warned.
The city has started distributing relief goods like rice, canned goods, mosquito nets, blankets, mats, plates and basic kitchen utensils, pots and pails among others yesterday. Rice and canned goods supplies are good for three days.
The city has so far spent P15 million to be charged to the city's calamity fund. Of the P15 million, P3 million is for the meals they distributed for three days, P3.1 million for the relief goods, P3.9 million for housing materials, P3 million for equipment like generators, dredging machines and hoses among others and P1.5 million for the medicines.
City engineers have started surveying the more than two-hectare fire-stricken portion of F. Villa St. for the planned reblocking.
Oliva said that the city government will widen the roads and provide more access roads before they will allow the residents to go back.
The reblocking must provide more access to fire trucks and other emergency vehicles in times of emergencies.
Last Monday's fire destroyed 430 houses. (THE FREEMAN)