Cotabato City council to distribute goods to fire victims

COTABATO CITY, Philippines- Members of the Cotabato City Council are to distribute on Tuesday relief supplies to 81 families whose houses were razed by a fire that hit a residential district here over the weekend.

The city’s fire bureau reported on Monday that about 45 houses were destroyed by the fire that struck Purok Buliao in Barangay Poblacion Mother late Saturday.

The city’s fire marshal, Chief Inspector Adam Guiamad, told Catholic station dxMS here via mobile phone that 45 houses were razed by the fire, mostly made of light materials.

Barangay officials, however, said no fewer than 50 houses were destroyed as of Sunday afternoon.

Cotabato City Vice-Mayor Muslimin Sema, who will lead the Tuesday’s relief operations, said each of the 81 affected families will receive 25 kilos of rice and a box of instant noodles.

The relief supplies were procured with the help of Maguindanao First District Rep. Sandra Sema, whose district also covers all of the 37 barangays in Cotabato City.

Sema said barangay officials, led by Teng Usman, chairman of Barangay Poblacion Mother, will also assist in their relief mission.

Some of the evacuees are now housed in a public covered court in Barangay Rosary Heights 7, and at the office of the Moro National Liberation Front in Barangay Tamontaka Mother, at the southwestern part of the city.

Sema said councilors Willie Bueno, Dick Datumanong, Florante Formento, Froilan Melendrez, Sukarno Sema, Kus Taha, shelled out personal money to add to the funds for the procurement of the relief supplies.

A former city administrator, Mike Daulog, broadcast journalist Bruce Matabalao and three chairpersons of heavily populated barangays here, Zenny Langco, John Mangulamas and Mike Sekak, also helped organize the relief mission, Sema said. (Cara Matalam, Valerie Anne Lambo)