Duljo victims okay reblocking of fire site

Some of the fire victims return to their burned houses in Barangay Duljo Fatima. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

SITIO leaders in Barangay Duljo Fatima, Cebu City have agreed to the city’s plan to reblock the fire-stricken area to avoid similar incidents in the future.

In a meeting with the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) and the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) on Tuesday, it was agreed that legitimate house owners in the six sitios affected by the fire will get between 28 to 32 squares meters for their respective home lots.

Based on data from the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), a total of 471 houses were damaged or destroyed in last week’s fire displacing 2,752 individuals or 671 families. The fire hit Sitio Bohol Village, Saduco, Riverside, Continental, Chicago and Plastikan.

The DEPW proposes a clustering of the houses in the area where four houses will form a block. In between blocks, would be a small alley for people to pass through easily.

Recipients of the home lots will be asked to sacrifice half a meter of their space to establish roads and provide enough space between houses and blocks.

DWUP meanwhile suggests that relatives stay together in one block and set up their own firewall to prevent fires from spreading easily in other areas.

It was also agreed during the meeting that instead of eight major roads to be opened and developed within the fire-stricken area, 12 roads will be constructed with each measuring 6.5 meters wide.

One of the roads will pass through the private property of slain drug lord Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz which was not affected by the fire.

DWUP head Genevieve Alcoseba said the property currently has a basketball court and an open space.

“We will try to talk and request the family to let the road pass through the property. We will make them understand that this is a government project and it will be for their own benefit,” she said.

Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO) head Nagiel Bañacia said that with the positive response of the sitio leaders to the city’s reblocking plans, a clearing operation at the fire site may be conducted within the week.