Village chief, councilor fire victims too
TWO village officials of Ermita found themselves in dual roles: fire victims and public servants.
Ermita Barangay Captain Mark Miral and Councilor Ryan Rosas were among the more than 2,500 people who were displaced by the early morning fire that hit two sitios in the urban poor seaside community in downtown Cebu City.
When the smoke cleared, nothing was left in the two-storey, semi-concrete house of Miral in Sitio
Ermita Proper.
About two blocks away, the fire had turned Rosas’ two-storey house into a pile of debris.
While it was painful looking at the fire slowly eating their homes, both Rosas and Miral went on with their tasks in assisting their constituents who were homeless.
“Igo ra nako gipagawas akong asawa, among duha ka anak. Giplastar nako sila layo sa kayo unya nibalik ko para mutabang sa uban. Bahala na kung naugdaw akong panimalay (I just evacuated my wife and our two children. I put them in a safe place, away from the fire and then went back to help others. Never mind that my house was razed to the ground),” said Miral.
Miral said he had to be strong to encourage his constituents not to lose heart.
“I’m duty bound to help my constituents and neighbors in Ermita,” he said.
Like Miral, Rosas too helped fellow fire victims save their belongings from the blaze.
At 10 a.m., Miral and Rosas joined the rest of the Ermita officials at the barangay hall for an emergency session to declare Sitios Kawit and Ermita Proper under a state of calamity to enable them to access the calamity funds and help the fire victims.
Monday’s fire came a week before the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on May 14.
Miral, the village’s first councilor, took over as barangay chair in December 2017 following the murder of Ermita Barangay Captain Felicisimo “Imok” Rupinta who was killed in an ambush in Liloan town the month before.
Miral is now running for barangay captain in next week’s barangay and SK polls while Rosas is seeking reelection.
Rosas admitted that Monday’s fire would derail their campaign plans.
But he said the campaign can come later because his constituents need his help now.
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