Mayor tells victims not to rebuild yet: Fire scene off limits

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes has asked fire victims in barangay Tipolo not to construct new houses at the site as the city wants to put in place an access road and other developments in the area before they can rebuild their homes.

Cortes, who described the latest fire incident as a problem that cannot be solved by him alone, said that the residents in the area should be patient since the access road and other plans would be for their own good.

“Di ni mada og mayor lang ning problemaha,” the mayor told The Freeman as according to him, this new fire incident is an additional problem to that of the fire in barangays Mantuyong and Guizo, which hit the city earlier this year.

Cortes also wants to put up fire hydrants in all the city’s depressed areas, as a way of helping prevent fires from spreading quickly.

Tipolo barangay captain Restituto Villanueva reiterated yesterday his appeal for food and clothing for his constituents.

“Mga sanina ug pagkaon gyud ang kinahanglan namo ron. Nagkuwang sad mi sa mga tents ug banig,” Villanueva said after he visited the four evacuation centers.

A drop-in center was also set up at the City Hall for a centralized receipt and management of donations for the victims.

Cortes also observed how unprepared the barangay residents are during the calamity and he plans to hold calamity preparedness seminars to address this.

Fire investigator Roy Garcia said that based on his investigation, the fire started from an unattended fire used for cooking inside the rented room of Liling Cotejal.

Cotejal was not around when the fire broke out that reduced the 250 residential houses into ashes. Damage in the blaze is now pegged at P2.85 million.

Mandaue City Fire Marshal Oscar Mayol said that it seems there was negligence on the part of Cotejal and the residents can even file a damage suit against her.

Mayol said that Cotejal’s room has a so-called dirty kitchen.

Cotejal’s rented room is just one of the six rooms of the house owned by Marta Cartaginas.

Tipolo barangay secretary Allan Jumao-as said that so far, none among the fire victims have informed them of their willingness to sue Cotejal.

Villanueva further said that the members of the barangay council have passed a resolution the other night declaring Jayme Compound Lower A and B as a calamity area and have passed a resolution approving the release of P200,000 as assistance for the victims.

“Hopefully by Sunday, we can have the complete list of affected individuals so that we will know how much will be given to the victims,” Villanueva said.

The members of the city council have also passed a resolution the other day wherein house owners will be given P8,000 each and P3,000 each will be given for renters.

The amount will only be released once, the City Social Welfare and Development determines the total number of victims and households.

Villanueva said the area affected by the fire covers at least 8,000 square meters. It is the same area wherein more than 150 houses were burned on July 1991.

 “Pwerteng paita gyud ang among kahimtang. Pag 1991, ang akong balay nasunog sad unya karon hurot gyud ug ugdaw akong balay. Wa gyud koy napunit,” said a teary-eyed 72-year-old Tomasa Puerto, who has lived in the place since 1968.

 The victims who are students also expressed concern about their studies.

“Hapit na among exams, unsaun na lang nako pagto-on ani nga ang akong mga libro ug notes na apil man ug sunog,” said Marie Calzasa, a second year high school student.

 Last March 7, a four-hour fire broke out in the city resulting to one death and over seven hundred houses were destroyed in barangays Mantuyong and Guizo.

On September of 1992, more than 2,000 individuals were also left homeless when a fire hit Mantuyong.

 The areas that were affected by the March 7 and Wednesday’s fire total around three hectares.These lots are part of the 9.2 hectares that were awarded by the city government to the actual occupants during the time of former city mayor Alfredo Ouano.

 However, a portion of the area that was hit by the Tipolo fire are owned by private lot owners Restituto Jayme and Rene Espina.

Some of the homeless and unemployed residents fear that they may no longer be allowed to rebuild their houses on the same area especially that they have not been paying rent since last year.

 “Ambot ani og tugtan pa ba mi ug tukod sa among balay nga wala na ra bi bayad-bayad sa abangan. Asa na man lang intawon mi ani puyo,” asked Ma. Guadalupe Dungsal, a 73-year-old mother of four said, who has lived the place since 1978.—(/NLQ)