Pagadian fire victims to get aid from NHA, DSWD

PAGADIAN City– The National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are set to provide additional emergency financial and housing assistance to the June 1 fire victims in this city.

Mayor Romeo Pulmones said the NHA allocated P24 million for the housing site development while the DSWD provided P30,000 emergency financial assistance to each of the affected families.

Pulmones said the financial grant was on top to the soon to be released financial assistance of P7,500 and P5,000 per family coming from the city government and NHA.

City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) records showed that 1,994 families, or 10,147 individuals were displaced by the fire that hit Barangays Santiago and San Pedro.

A septuagenarian man died while his wife suffered burns during the fire that started at one of the houses at Purok Campo Islam, Barangay Santiago.

Sr. Insp. Reggy Olmedo, local fire marshal, said the fire fanned out towards the adjacent barangay of San Pedro due to strong winds and razed closed to 2,000 houses mostly made of light materials and semi-concrete structures.

Pulmones said Gov. Antonio Cerilles and first district Rep. Victor Yu have pledged to facilitate the fast approval and release of the P30,000 financial aid coming from the DSWD to help alleviate the plight of the fire victims.

The DSWD has also distributed on Saturday 4,000 food packs worth P1.4 million to the fire victims. Pulmones said the fire victims would be relocated in the barangays of Balintawak, San Pedro and Kawit this city.

Meanwhile, Pulmones said the City Council had authorized him through a resolution to grant discounts in the issuance of building permits that would pave way for the construction of houses of the fire victims. pna