Tenants of gutted mall complain of missing items

MANILA, Philippines - Tenants of the Ever Gotesco Grand Central mall in Caloocan City yesterday complained of missing items from their stores despite strict security imposed outside the gutted building.

One of the mall’s tenants said most of the missing items were mobile phones, iPads and other electronic gadgets.

“Shoes and clothes were untouched but several electronic gadgets were gone,” he said.

The storeowner said they discovered that some of the items were missing Saturday after the mall management and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) allowed them to enter the mall and retrieve their belongings.

Mall security guards declined to comment on the tenant’s allegations but claimed the gutted building is properly secured.

Tenants were allowed to salvage what was left of their stores’ contents. But the retrieval was stopped yesterday since no DILG personnel was available to escort the storeowners inside the mall.

Mayor Enrico Echiverri said the city government would ask the DILG to declare the Gotesco building “totally condemned” as its structure was weakened by the four-day fire.

A fire of still unknown origin broke out at the ground floor of the mall on March 16. Firemen declared the fire under control on March 20.