Trinidad bans vendors from gutted Pasay mall

Pasay City Mayor Wenceslao Trinidad has ordered the City Engineer’s Office to conduct an inspection of the remains of the Galleria Baclaran Mall after it was razed in a fire last Thursday.

He also directed City Engineer Edwin Javaluyas not to allow vendors to go back to the site and come near the affected area.

“We want to check first the condition of the posts and structures left in the fire incident. We fear that any moment it might collapse and endanger the lives of those who linger in the area,” the mayor said.

He said the City Engineer’s Office to submit a report to him as soon as possible.

“It is just imperative to check the condition of the remaining structures so as to protect those going near the site, though the owner of the concerned establishment would be the one to decide what they will develop next in the area,” Trinidad said.

Vendors immediately set up their stalls near the gutted mall after the fire has been put out. They claimed there is no alternative site for them to able to sell their wares.

Nearly 100 firetrucks rushed to the site to help extinguish the fire, which started around 6 a.m. Thursday. The fire was declared under control at about 3:35 p.m., and a fire out was announced late morning the following day.

The other day, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) gave Bureau of Fire Protection officials 48 hours to come out with a report on the fire incident.

This developed after reports that firefighters tried to extort money from stall owners during the blaze reached the DILG. Secretary Ronaldo Puno said BFP officials should explain how firemen operate to clear themselves amidst reports that they receive bribes before they do their job.

Meanwhile, Cultural Center of the Philippines president Nestor Jardin clarified reports that the CCP guards alleged prevented firemen from taking water from its fire hydrant, prolonging the time it took for the firemen to put out the fire at the mall.

According to a CCP security report, at about 9:30 p.m. last Thursday, firemen on board the Alpha 1 Pasay firetruck arrived at the south parking area of the CCP’s main building and asked permission to get water from a fire hydrant in the area. The CCP guard on duty allowed the firemen to do so.

After about an hour, the same truck returned to CCP to reload. However, another CCP guard said he would have to ask permission from his superiors. Upon hearing this, the firemen left the CCP complex immediately without reloading their truck.

“It is regrettable that the second CCP guard did not immediately allow the firemen to access the fire hydrant. He has been reprimanded for this lapse of judgment. There is also no truth to the report that said guard threatened the firemen,” Jardin said.