CEBU, Philippines - Toledo City Mayor John Henry “Sonny†Osmeña is eyeing to decongest Barangay Don Andres Soriano following the recent fire which razed 15 houses last Sunday dawn.
Osmeña said that he learned of the incident when he was still in Bacolod City.
“That to me is a nightmare because Lutopan is our biggest barangay and is highly congested,†he said.
Since he was congressman of the third district of Cebu Province where Toledo City is part of, Osmeña said he has already been saying the residents who are no longer working with the Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. should relocate from Barangay DAS, formerly known as Lutopan.
Under his administration, Osmeña said that they will identify a relocation site with the needed facilities.
“Ang mga tawo sa Lutopan way tubig, pamalhin mo kay tagaan ta mo og tubig,†Osmeña said.
Barangay DAS has 21 sitios and a population of 16,227 based on the 2007 census.
From the 1960s through 1980s the place saw progress, mainly through the ACMDC operations, which closed down in 1991. It is set to reopen soon under new management.
During its heyday the barangay had a hospital facility comparable to those of Cebu City in terms of quality. It also has a La Salle-supervised private school (now Andres Soriano Memorial College) that used to be subsidized by the company.
Skilled workers from the mine have found other jobs, many of them working overseas.
Although the mines have been shut downs, it continues to be one of the most populated areas of Toledo.
Last Sunday’s dawn fire broke out at 2:25 a.m. while most residents were still sleeping.
The blaze was raised to the third alarm and was controlled fifteen minutes after firemen arrived at the scene. It caused damage estimated at P700,000.
The cause of fire was believed to be the candles used by the family of Anastacio Gomez whose electricity was reportedly cut off several days ago. —(FREEMAN)