400 fire victims hope to receive financial aid

Residents return to their homes to salvage what they can from their razed houses in Barangay Basak Pardo in Cebu City which was hit by fire on Thursday. At right, some of the fire victims are temporarily staying at the Don Vicente Rama Elementary School gymnasium. (JUNJIE MENDOZA)

At least 400 victims of Thursday’s fire in Barangay Basak Pardo, Cebu City, are hoping to be able to rebuild their razed houses as they await financial assistance from the city government.

The fire victims are staying at the Don Vicente Rama Elementary School gymnasium where they were given food from City’s Social Welfare and Services personnel led by its head Lea Japson.

Japson said they would continue to provide food to 104 families made up of an estimated 400 individuals displaced by the fire for three days.

The fire victims are also expected to receive financial assistance from the city government.

“Even though the city government is running out of money, we will give them. That is fine,” assured Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña when asked about providing financial assistance to the fire victims.

The fire victims specifically the house owners will be given P20,000 each.

Mencing Navarro, 75, a fire victim who sells food, said in Cebuano that she did not know where they would go since their house was razed by fire.
Navarro, however, said that she was just glad that no one was hurt during the fire.

“What is important is our lives. The things that were burned by the fire can be replaced,” she said in Cebuano.

“We don’t know where we will go, but we hope that we can rebuild our house here,” she said in Cebuano.

Cebu City Fire Marshall Rogelio Bongabong said initial investigation showed that the fire was caused by an unattended lamp because the house where the fire was supposed to have originated did not have any electricity.

Bongabong said the fire razed 40 houses and damage to property was pegged at P350,000.

He said that they had difficulty putting out the blaze because the fire trucks could not enter the area, which could only be accessed by small alleys.

Basak Pardo Barangay Captain Yolandito Cagang said that no one was hurt in the fire.

He also said that the classes at the Don Vicente Rama Elementary School would continue despite the fire victims’ staying in the gym.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fire Protection in Central Visayas recognized Mayor Osmeña and the Cebu City government for their support to the BFP-7 in achieving fire safe communities.

“The city has contributed a lot. They helped us purchase ladders, fuel for our trucks, monthly allowance for the firemen. It was never cut off,” said Bongabong.

Osmeña, for his part, said he was proud to receive the recognition but he challenged the firemen to continue to improve in doing their job.