SAN JOSE, Antique – Thursday’s fire left over 300 employees looking past the ashes of the Gaisano Grand Mall here. They lost their jobs.
“Mauli sanda kadya kara kag hambalan ang nanay kag tatay nanda, ang anda pamilya, nga naduraan sanda ubra. Hindi pwede mag-uli sanda nga their hearts are broken and their pockets are empty,” said Gov. Rhodora Cadiao.
As an initial response, the provincial government decided to allot P2 million cash aid to the displaced employees.
Spearheaded by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, monetary assistance was distribution yesterday at the Delegate Angel Salazar Junior Memorial School. Each worker received P5,000.
Each worker also received a sack of rice and noodles. Cadiao said the rice were donations from private individuals.
Every local government unit (LGU) will also provide additional assistance to the displaced workers, as promised by the mayors to Cadiao.
Cong. Loren Legarda also pledged assistance.
On the other hand, San Jose’s Mayor Elmer Untaran is looking into long-term assistance.
“Kung assistance ang tugro kang LGU, it’s not a long-term solution. Kung long-term, tugruan mo sanda kang employment,” Untaran stressed.
Earlier, Untaran said not only employees were adversely affected by the fire but also nearby boardinghouses that won’t be able to receive payment from their displaced tenants.
Cadiao, for her part, said the provincial government would try its best to help the fire-hit employees find new jobs, especially in this time of coronavirus pandemic.
EMPLOYEES ON THURSDAY BLAZE
At around 5 p.m. on June 17, employees, tenants, and shoppers were scrambling to leave the mall.
IT staff Jerahmeel Andon was one of the last few to get out of the building. Andon and two of his fellow ITs were not aware of the fire until the neighboring treasury office knocked on their door.
“Sa office ako kato, wara gid ako kamaan kato kay wa’ naga-alarm ang fire alarm kang Gaisano bala haw,” Andon recounted.
He recalled seeing the second-floor ceiling in flames before rushing to the nearest fire exit.
The cash aid and goods can help him stay afloat, he said, as he had inadvertently left his wallet containing cash and IDs in the burning mall.
“Wara ron gid kwarta. As in ma-back-to-zero gid tana ako. Mahabol pa gid ako kang mga IDs, kang kwarta ko, ang ATM ko,” shared Andon, who had only been working for three months in his first job.
He added: “Kay ang iban ma-uruli pa ra mung sa anda balay. At least bala may darar-un sa anda pamilya nga kwarta ra aw kag bugas. Bahul-bahul gid tana nga bulig.”
Meanwhile, Marjulyn Balungcas, another fire-hit staff, also left her other belongings in the burnt mall.
Despite this, she advised her fellow displaced workers not to lose hope.
“‘Di lang gid mawad-an ka pag-asa nga makakita gid kami ubra. Bisan lawig sige lang basta safe lang kag healthy. Makakita gid kita ka obra,” she said.
Yesterday, Gaisano Regional Manager Alex Balbona came to assess the situation and met with Untaran.
Balbona said he would send a recommendation to the corporate office to transfer the displaced workers to other Gaisano branches in Panay Island, as suggested by Untaran and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Balbona added there were no concrete plans yet as they were still assessing the damage.
DOLE provincial director Carmela Abellar said if the Gaisano management chooses to close permanently, it has to give its workers their separation pay.
INVESTIGATION ONGOING
As this was being written, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Region 6 has yet to ascertain the cause of the fire.
“Ang cause of fire indi pa naton mabal-an pero ang point of origin nabal-an na naton kon sa diin nga parti sang second floor,” Fire Senior Supt. Jerry Candido told Panay News.
He said the fire started at the ceiling of the Ladies’ Wear section of the second floor.
The flames burned the entire second floor while around 30 to 40 percent of the first floor has been spared, Candido added.
The fire was declared “under control” around 10:56 p.m. (June 17) some six hours after it broke out.
As of this writing, however the BFP-6 has yet to declare a “fire out” as there were certain portions of the mall is smoldering.
“Wala pa sang fire out. Inadlaw pa ini sia siguro, mga two or three days pa before i-declare,” said Candido.
He declined to give a rough estimate of the damage “kay ongoing pa ang inventory sang management.”
No casualties were reported. (With a report from PIO Antique/PN)
