Tejero chief calls for help as burnt body of woman found in razed house

Some of fire victims are setting up makeshift shelters along the road near the fire site in Sitio Silangan 2 in Barangay Tejero, a day after the April 26 fire displaced 1,328 individuals and destroyed 149 houses.| Tonee Despojo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — An appeal for help, a state of calamity declared, and a death confirmed.

This is what happened at past 4 p.m. in Barangay Tejero, a day after a fire razed 149 houses in Sitio Silangan, displaced 1,328 individuals and injured three others.

Read more: P1M lost, 981 individuals displaced as fire in Tejero destroys 149 houses

At past 4 p.m., Tejero Barangay Captain Hermogenes Galang Jr. appealed  to kindhearted Cebuanos on Saturday, April 27, to donate clothes and basic necessities to the more than a thousand victims of the April 26 fire in Sitio Silangan 2.

Galang made the appeal as he informed about the barangay council declaring a state of calamity in the barangay.

“I-hangyo nako, kana lang gyung mga sanina, o mga personal, kung naa puy dry goods sama sa de lata, okay ra pod para ato i-distribute sa mga tao,” said Galang.

(I appeal to kindhearted Cebuanos to donate clothes and personal necessities that the fire victims need. They can also give dry goods like canned goods so that we can distribute them to the fire victims.)

Read more: PHOTO GALLERY: The fire aftermath in Sitio Silangan, Barangay Tejero

Unfortunately, at 4:45 p.m., Fire Senior Inspector Noel Ababon confirmed that they had found the remains of the 66-year-old woman, who was then reported as missing during the April 26 fire in the barangay.

Ababon said a neighbor of the victim, Mely Redoblado, identified the charred body as that of Lilian Intrampas, whose charred remains were found inside the toilet of her house.

Barangay Councilor Niño Lao said that they would help the family of the deceased to avail of the Cebu City government’s burial assistance.

Lao said that the barangay council would meet on April 28, Sunday, to discuss about what other assistance the barangay could provide the family of the dead victim.

On the state of calamity declaration, Galang said that that the barangay council met that in the afternoon of April 27 and decided on that action.

This will mean that the barangay can use funds allocated for emergency purposes.

Aside from the putting the barangay under a state of calamity, Galang said they also discussed about using the small budget of the barangay for helping the victims in their rebuilding after reblocking the area.

“We declared it for the people who was heavily affected by the fire, so we could at the very least help fund their rebuilding,” said Galang in Cebuano.

On those who would heed their call for help and donate to the fire victims, Galang said that they could look for Fe Dizon, who is an official of the barangay.

He said that Dizon had been responsible for feeding activities in the barangay/dbs