MVP to help build housing for San Juan fire victims

MANILA, Philippines - Businessman Manny V. Pangilinan will help the San Juan City government construct a medium-rise building to house more than 2,000 families who were left homeless by a fire that broke out on Christmas Day, former President Joseph Estrada said yesterday.

He and San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez “asked for his help and he agreed to help us build a medium-rise building for the fire victims. The victims badly need the houses,” Estrada said in a telephone interview with The STAR.

The former president said Pangilinan grew up in Barangay Little Baguio, San Juan. Estrada said the businessman assured him and Gomez that he will mobilize the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.; the Manila Electric Co. and water concessionaire Maynilad to provide basic services to the fire victims.

“We are very lucky that Manny Pangilinan is also a San Juan boy,” Estrada said.

Estrada said Pangilinan asked Gomez to submit the plan for the medium-rise building for the fire victims in Barangay St. Joseph. “The project will start immediately after he (Pangilinan) sees the plans,” he said.

At least two persons died when a fire gutted the houses of more than 2,000 families in Barangay St. Joseph. Michael Muñoz, 32, was beaten to death by his neighbors when they mistook him as the one responsible for the fire.

The charred remains of Wilfredo Dinero Jr., brother of barangay chair Nelia Duka, was retrieved by firefighters the day after the blaze. Dinero was reportedly trapped inside their burning house because he was allegedly drunk.