School building’s demolition to displace Pasil fire victims
Fire victims staying at the Pasil Elementary School receive food donations in this Jan. 15, 2018 photo.
CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA
A 36-year-old mother, a fire victim of last week’s Barangay Pasil fire, is worried about where she and her family will go after they were asked to leave the old school building where they are temporarily staying.
Leah Jumanoy and her family of four are among the 40 families, who are only given until next week to vacate the building which is scheduled for demolition at that time.
Jumamoy said they are planning to go back to where their burned houses stand.
She said they planned to build a temporary shelter or makeshift tent there.
“Mao na among gikabalak-an karon kay last Wednesday, giari mi ni Kap gitagalan na lang mi og usa ka semana. Kay init kaayo didto inig adlawan, mag-uwan uwan pud unya trapal ra among atop,” said Jumanoy, who has two high school children to support.
Her 38-year-old husband is a trisikad driver.
She and her family together with her sister’s family had been staying at the old school building since their house was destroyed by the Sitio Lawis fire.
“Mipasalig si Kapitan nga ilang gub-on karong lunes. Nihangyo si Kap sa principal nga i-extend sa mi diri kay kuyaw sa disgrasya. Nihangyo man mi ni Kap nga mobalhin mi sa complex pero pagtan aw niya puno naman,” she said.
But Barangay Councilman Julito Cabasa said that the affected families would be moved to the Pasil fish market area, which is the vacant lot in front of San Nicholas Parish.
The city government has distributed tents to each homeowner while renters, sharers and families who do not have their own titles of lots in Sitio Lawis will be given a trapal.
Barangay Pasil Councilman Cabasa said that the old building, or the Cuenco building of the school, had been scheduled for demolition on Wednesday next week.
“Ang problema namo ani kay ang mga pamilya nga naa sa eskwelahan, kay gamiton naman gud ang lugar, so nangita mi og laing lugar kung asa sila mapahilona (Our problem is moving the families staying at the school because the building will be used. So we have to look for a place to move them),” said Cabasa in an interview.
From the last barangay emergency meeting that they had, Cabasa said they were only waiting for the reblocking by the Division for Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP).
In the meantime, he said they would be relocated in the old Pasil fish market, which is the vacant lot in front of San Nicholas Parish.
Helen Genson, teacher and officer-in-charge of Pasil Elementary School said regular classes resumed just last Monday.
The old building that would be demolished had 16 classrooms.
Meanwhile, classes at the Pasil Elementary School have been affected with the fire victims staying at the school.
Genson said for the past two weeks, classes were only held for four hours in each grade level with three shifts; from 6 to 10 a.m., 10 to 2 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m.
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