City hall responds to fire victims

By LITO RULONA,
Correspondent

AT LEAST 176 persons are now temporarily housed at the Macanhan National High School (MNHS) and are seeking help from local government units and other relief organizations after a fire totally gutted down 21 residential houses and partially damaged at least 12 houses on Tuesday in Bullseye Street in Zone 9-A, Sitio Macanhan in Carmen, this city.

City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWD) released the names of 40 house owners affected by the fire which included the families of Joey Delegerio, Rodolfo Bangkil, Emma Ano-os, Rosafe Yabut, Ding Dalaypon-Flores, Rogelio Ruello, Marife Bueno, Dominador Rayco, Aselo Lanta, Jose Marie Maisog, James Fernandez, Diomedes Ompoc, Michelle Sabuero, Germano Jobil, Daniel Flores, Ezequel Galago, Ronnel Sabal, Ariel Calago, Sarah Maiso, Arturo Figuracion, and Mark Lester Umasas.

The listed house owners whose houses were declared partially damaged by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) are Orot Mesitas, Cleofe Orlando, Reynaldo Mabanag, Merlinda Prota, Jaime Sabal, Hermogenes Malagamba, Samson Yamot, Ricardo Sabal, Francis Daaca, Rogelio Rayco, Rodrigo Galinay, and Noel Rapadas.

BFP initially placed the entire damaged of the community to at least P1 million worth of property, according to district fire marshall Rommel Villafuerte.

CSWD officer Teddy Sabuga-a said they immediately provided the area for temporary shelter of the affected families inside MNHS at the new three-storey building constructed by the city government which is also intended for temporary shelter for any disaster.

“We initially provided free meals, clothings and other personal needs of the victims,” he said.

Sabuga-a said they would also try to convene the new-City Hall department on Shelter and Housing to verify if they wanted for a relocation to those affected families who did not own the area.

Local barangay units headed by Carmen barangay chairman Lorna Uy also provided meals, medicines and other spare clothes.