BFP to residents:

‘DON’T PANIC’

91 out of 180 barangays ‘fire prone’.

By Manny Alcalde and Jun Tillaflor

Iloilo City Fire Marshall Gerry Barte has advised residents in Iloilo City to remain calm during the occurrence of a fire and to adopt a new culture of thinking about the safety of the whole neighborhood more than just assuring their own personal safety.

Fire Chief Inspector Barte said that based on their post assessment and investigation of the recent fire that destroyed more or less 300 houses in Barangays Tanza Esperanza, Tanza Timawa II and Malipayon residents in panic who tried to save their properties was a major obstacle impeding operations of the responding firemen.

Barte said that delay was further caused by the narrow pathways in the said barangays which prevented fire trucks from going nearer to the fire scene.

Barte declared that that residents should be fire conscious and make safety as a priority in their respective homes especially that 91 out of the 180 barangays in Iloilo City are considered "fire prone" meaning that when a fire starts there is a big tendency for it to spread to the whole vicinity of the barangay.

He appealed to barangay leaders to review the barangay emergency preparedness as "first responders" to a fire incident.

The fire chief also corrected reports that the cause of the fire was confined to an initial lead of fire investigators that said it started in the house of the Rosales family.

He said that they are entertaining at least three to four leads that are continuously being studied and validated to finally determine the cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, the Rosales family has appealed to fire investigators to accurately determine the cause and not to release it to the media until it has become final.

Fire victims blamed the family after a fireman said that the fire probably started from an unattended flat iron in the Rosales house in Brgy. Tanza Timawa II.

However, the Rosales family said that they have not even used the said appliance on that particular day.

Barte also promised to conduct further barangay " pulongpulongs" for a re-briefing of the fire prevention and control procedures.

Meanwhile, as the city government was quick in responding to the needs of victims of a late afternoon fire that gutted houses in three barangays in the City Proper Ilonggo Senator Franklin Drilon pledged financial help to the victims.

Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog assured that assistance will be properly given to those who need it, even as he appealed for concerted effort to help the fire victims.

Mabilog said he went to Manila immediately when Drilon called him up to see him and promised to give the fire victims of financial assistance amounting to P5,000 each. A total of the 370 affected families have been validated.

"We call on everyone to be generous of what they have and share them with our unfortunate brothers and sisters," Mabilog appealed to the public earlier.

Since Sunday, the city government through the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) has been distributing family packs containing noodles, rice, sardines, meatloaf and coffee.

The regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development also gave mats and used clothing for the victims.

Mabilog ordered the setting up of assistance centers per evacuation area and assigned CSWDO personnel to attend to the needs of evacuees.

Those who chose to remain in their barangays availed of delivered goods from CSWDO.

Similarly, the City Health Office dispatched their doctors and nurses to the evacuation centers so that victims can be given medical attention.

The Metro Iloilo Water District likewise sent their water tankers in order to provide potable water supply after coordination has been made between their management and the city government.

The mayor also instructed CSWD officer Alfredo Villanueva to allow evacuees to stay in the evacuation centers for a maximum of 15 days while they are rebuilding their homes or finding other places to live in.

Mabilog said that since the area is privately-owned, he will have an audience with the owner for consideration, whether to let the victims rebuild their houses at the site or sell the property to the city government.

He said the process of relocating the victims, especially those who do not legally own the lot where their houses stood, is seriously being considered as soon as a relocation site has been identified.

Based on the validated final report of CSWDO as of 4:30PM Tuesday, a total of 370 families or 1,855 persons were affected by the fire incident in the villages of Tanza Timawa Zone II, Malipayon and Tanza Esperanza.

Totally damaged houses totaled 279 while partially damaged ones reached 22.

The six evacuation centers in Manuel L. Quezon (MLQ) Elementary School, Rizal Elementary School, Bonifacio Elementary School, Malipayon day care center, Tanza Timawa day care center, and Tanza Timawa barangay hall currently serve 289 families.

Villanueva said the evacuees are so far well provided and attended to by the social workers.

Donations, especially food, water, clothing, mats and cookware are being accepted at the MLQ Elementary School.　

Aside from the pledged of Drilon from the national government, the city government will also provide financial assistance to the fire victims amounting to P5,000 for totally damaged houses and P2,500 for partially damaged houses.

The financial assistance will be distributed to the fire victims once all necessary requirements are accomplished.