‘Red Cross can help build houses for fire victims’

DUE to the election ban on projects, the Philippine Red Cross will help Mandaue City Hall in building houses for the fire victims of Barangays Guizo and Mantuyong.

Mandaue City Administrator James Abadia said this as he confirmed that it will take four months to finish the reblocking and development of the fire site.

The fire victims are staying in the grounds of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).

About 19,000 square meters of the 9.2-hectare fire site is owned by the city government with the rest privately owned.

Abadia said they plan to build a high-rise building to accommodate the rest of the families that were not identified as beneficiaries.

“We are really looking at ways to accommodate them all and one way is a high-rise building,” he said.

He said Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code allows the Red Cross to administer and disburse funds for projects during the March 25-May 8 election period subject to supervision from the Commission on Audit (COA).

PRC chairman Richard Gordon said during a visit to the CICC grounds that they can build 150 houses in one day.

Abadia said 24 square meters of lot can be provided to every family to build a new house.

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