Cebu City mulls release of P4K rental subsidy for fire victims

CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

Monday’s fire which hit five densely populated sitios (zones) within the boundaries of Barangays Tisa and Labangon has paved the way for City Hall to consider the release of rental subsidies for affected families in order to get them immediately back on their feet.

Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) head Nagiel Bañacia told reporters that an executive order for the rental subsidies is now being prepared by CDRRMC for the mayor’s signature.

The rental subsidy will be on top of the usual P20,000 cash aid and the P10,000 worth of construction materials which will be given to fire victims by the city.

The plan to release funds to cover rental subsidies will, however, need the approval of the Cebu City Council.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña earlier tasked Bañacia and Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez, executive assistant of the mayor, to draw up plans on how to release the subsidies.

Bañacia said that they initially proposed that P4,000 be given for three consecutive months to each house owner so that they could immediately find a place to stay and thus relieve the city’s schools from the burden of having to host evacuees in need of temporary shelter.

“Ibutang nato sa gym o sa classroom, in that case, makahasol ta sa mga bata, di na conducive sa learning. Makagasto pa’g dako ang government sa maintenance diha sa gym or sports center,” said Bañacia.

(If we house them in gymnasiums or classrooms, in that case, we will cause hassle to the children and this will not be conducive to their learning. The government also spends a lot just to maintain the gym or sports center.)

At the same time, according to Bañacia, if fire victims are given money to help pay for rent, albeit temporarily, the city government will be able to work, without intrusion, to prepare the fire area for surveys and reblocking operations.

“Hatagan sila og rental fees aron ang gobyerno makaandam sa area, like kinahanglan og reblocking, within 3 months di kabalik, kay nag-survey ta, nag-reblocking and uban pa nga pagpangandam,” Bañacia said.

Bañacia explained that the idea to release rental subsidies came upon seeing the difficult conditions of the hundreds of Tisa and Labangon fire victims.

If approved by the Cebu City Council, the victims of Monday’s dawn fire will be the first beneficiaries of the city’s rental subsidy.

Please cooperate

Over at the fire scene, Tisa Barangay Captain Philip Zafra issued an appeal to the man blamed for the blaze that rendered at least 259 families homeless.

“The investigation continues and this man was accused of causing the fire. I understand he’s afraid to come out into the open. But he can always see me,” Zafra said, referring to a certain Andrew Balunan who allegedly threw a lighted kerosene lamp at his wife in the middle of an argument at dawn inside their residence.

Balunan has not shown himself nor returned to Barangay Tisa since the blaze occurred.

Four sitios of Barangay Tisa and another one in Labangon were declared under a state of calamity to allow the barangays to use their calamity funds to assist the victims.

The dawn fire burned down 185 houses. Authorities estimated the damage to reach P1.5 million. No one was seriously injured.

The four sitios in Barangay Tisa which were affected by the fire are Lutaw-lutaw, Tacao, Luhai, and Kauswagan. Affected in Barangay Labangon was Sitio Sto. Rosario.

City Hall’s Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) immediately provided food to the affected residents, many of whom occupied the gymnasiums in the two affected barangays.

Gloria Canoy, one of the residents affected by the fire, appealed for help from government agencies or private individuals.

“I hope kind-hearted people will give us clothes, blankets, food, and water,” she said in Cebuano.