VICTIMS of the Warwick fire who are taking temporary shelter in tents built inside block 27 compound at the North Reclamation Area are given until Monday to vacate the relocation site.
Collin Rosel, head of the Department for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP), told them in a meeting yesterday that they need to transfer to their designated relocation site at the city urban poor housing site in barangay Budlaan.
But one of the victims said it would be hard for them as Budlaan is very far from Warwick Barracks where they sell goodies for a living.
Raquel Arce, head of the city’s demolition team, issued a notice on Thursday giving the block 27 occupants 72 hours, which would lapse on Monday, to vacate the area.
There are about 62 tents inside block 27 that accommodated two to three families each.
Affected families visited city hall yesterday to speak with Rosell and appeal for an extension of their stay at block 27.
They later visited councilors’ offices to ask for help.
But since it’s a Friday, they only chanced upon Councilor Nida Cabrera who told them that she would find ways to help them.
Mayor Michael Rama, who was in Manila yesterday, told reporters in a telephone interview that he will have to be convinced on the need to extend their stay at block 27 before he could allow any extension.
“We cannot also have them at block 27 forever. But if there is a need for them to extend their stay, why not? But I have to be convinced of the need for extension,” he said.
Rama said he will have to speak with Rosell and city administrator Lucelle Mercado and ask for an update on the concern of Warwick fire victims.
He said that he already delegated to the two department heads to attend to the fire victims’ concerns.
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