Talisay readies help for fire victims

CEBU, Philippines - The Talisay City government is set to give cash, rice, and other necessary items to the Dec 31 fire victims in sitio Holy Child, barangay Bulacao.

City Social Welfare Officer Felipa Solana said each of the 13 homeless families will get 10 kilograms of rice and kitchen utensils as the city's assistance to them.

On the day of the fire until last Sunday, the city through her office had already distributed rice and canned goods to the victims, Solana said.

This next tranche of dole outs is from the P223,500 financial aid recently approved by the city council during its special session last Friday. The council held a special session to declare a portion of sitio Holy Child, Bulacao under a state of calamity so that the funds for financial assistance could be released.

Based on the assessment of city welfare office, each family is entitled to get a total of P17,000, but only P2,000 will be given in cash, as the rest will come in the form of materials to be used in building their new houses (P10,000), and P5,000 will go for the labor.

The city has already started distributing the housing materials and the cash assistance since yesterday afternoon.

Last Thursday's fire razed nine houses and partially destroyed two others.

Damage to property was somewhere in the neighborhood of P350,000.

Neighborhood thieves pilfer Veco meters

In the beginning they stole water meters of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District, now neighborhood thieves are breaking electrical meters owned by the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) and pilfering them.

PO1 Irene Abellanosa of the Talisay City Police Station said every week the police receive reports of broken Veco meter, which indicate that these incidents usually happen in the wee hours of the morning when owners are asleep.

She said inside these meters are metals that can be sold to junk shops.

Last week, police received two similar reports.

Last Dec 31, Alberto Roslinda Jr., 43, of Deca Homes, Dumlog and on the following day, Antonia Padillo reported to the police that their Veco meters were already broken.

Both victims said they believe that the crime was done at around 12 midnight or 1 in the morning.

In 2006, water meter pilferage became rampant in Talisay prompting the city council to approve a resolution prohibiting all junk shop owners from buying stolen water meters or they would face criminal charges for violation of Presidential Decree 1621 or the "Anti-fencing Law of 1979" which punishes anyone who buys, possesses stolen things.— (FREEMAN)