EDITORIAL – Victims twice over

How long does it take to put out a fire in Metro Manila? Ten hours, in the case of the fire that destroyed the Galleria Baclaran shopping mall in Pasay City last week. The fire started at daytime, the streets were wide enough for fire trucks to pass through, and it was a two-story building so firefighters could not say that their ladders and hoses were too short to reach the blaze. The regular firefighters of the Bureau of Fire Protection were assisted by volunteer fire-fighting brigades — or at least the volunteers tried to help. Yet the fire raged for 10 hours. Why?

The Department of the Interior and Local Government, which has jurisdiction over the BFP, is still trying to find out. Among other things, the DILG is trying to verify reports that BFP firefighters were shaking down stall owners at the mall before training hoses on the burning building. So far, only one stall owner has pointed to someone who was not in a firefighter’s uniform as an extortionist. The DILG is still waiting for witnesses or complainants to come out.

The DILG may first have to guarantee protection to any witness or complainant. There will always be that fear of retribution, through a fire of mysterious origin that can hit the establishment or even the home of a witness or complainant against government firefighters. Such mysterious fires could take even longer than 10 hours to put out.

Stories of extortion and even looting during fires are not new. Though no one has dared to file a formal complaint or testify against extortionists, such stories must have contributed to the decision of certain quarters to invest in their own fire trucks and set up their own fire-fighting brigades, composed mainly of volunteers. Legitimate firefighters who are poorly equipped welcome the volunteers’ assistance. But the volunteers’ presence is naturally not appreciated by looters and extortionists. In the case of the Pasay fire, there were reports that the volunteers were even diverted to another area through a false alarm. The DILG must uncover the truth and punish anyone who preys on fire victims.