BY MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City – A hundred and seventy squatter families that fire displaced in Purok Katilingban, Barangay 39 on Tuesday will each receive P5,000 financial assistance from the city government.
Eighty-nine houses mostly made of nipa and bamboo were totally destroyed.
Five were partially damaged, according to the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD).
A total of 554 individuals were affected, including 63 boarders, said DSSD head Pacita Tero.
Some of the houses doubled as boarding houses.
The fire victims were occupying a provincial government-owned lot.
The barangay council will hold an emergency session to pass a resolution declaring Barangay 39 under a state of calamity, said village chief Dante Danoy.
A declaration is needed before the barangay council can use its P113,000 calamity fund to help the fire victims.
The Blessed Carmen Salles School has opened its gym to temporarily house the fire victims. But they were only given a week.
Others have chosen to stay at the barangay hall and barangay gym.
Danoy said the fire victims were willing to transfer to the Bacolod City relocation site. But Tero said only the Bacolod Housing Authority can decide on it.
What the victims want for now are light materials to rebuild their razed houses, said Tero.
She appealed to people who have the means to provide such to the fire victims.
The Bureau of Fire Protection said a short circuit may have caused the conflagration.
It estimated the damage to have reached P2 million.
Nobody died in the blaze./PN
