Fire victims in brgys Guizo and Mantuyong told: No rebuilding of homes

CEBU, Philippines -  The Mandaue City government will be sending notices to fire victims to vacate the area in barangays Guizo and Mantuyong where they have been rebuilding their houses.

Lawyer Giovanni Tianero, Mandaue City administrator, said the city plans to file a case if they will see families rebuilding their houses on the fire sites.

“We intend to file cases, in case sa pagkakaron naay makit-an nga magtukod dinha nga way appropriate permits from the government. So at least if time nga mag-demolish, di kaayo tantong daghan, sugdan na namung badlong,” Tianero told reporters yesterday afternoon.

Around 2,222 families were reportedly affected by fire.

Tianero said some fire victims have opposed the reblocking of their area even if heavy equipment intended for site development were ready.

“Gusto sila magpabilin, dili sila pa hilabot. Kami of course we will give them ample time. Appropriate notices will be served,” Tianero said.

Last Thursday, lawyer Jamaal Calipayan, executive secretary to the mayor, said the city is giving the fire victims two weeks to vacate the area to give way for site development.

Tianero said the city needs to reblock the area so that fire victims, who are currently housed outside the Cebu International Convention Center, will have a place to transfer.

“They (fire victims) will remain in CICC until the transitory house is available,” Tianero said.

A closed-door meeting between the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council Office, Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue, City Social Welfare Services and Cebu Provincial Risk Reduction Management Council Office was held yesterday at the city mayor’s conference.

Tianero said the meeting was about the status of the fire victims in terms of their health and alleged tapping of power source from the CICC.

The families have been taking shelter at the CICC grounds for the past two months now since the fire razed their homes in barangays Guizo and Mantuyong.

A number of evacuees have already built shanties around the abandoned P700-million province-owned building using coconut lumber as foundation, bamboo strips as walling and tarpaulins as roofs.

However, Tianero said they have received reports that families living on the CICC grounds have failed to throw their garbage properly.

“So it was discussed and we considered having another meeting with them to talk about this para ma-sultihan sila nga manglimpyo sa ilang mga tugkaran,” Tianero said.

He added that they will coordinate with the city’s Department of General Services as to the proper garbage disposal.

The city will also let the Office of the Building Official inspect the reported wire tapping in the CICC, said Tianero.

“We decided to have the Office of the Building Official inspect those reported tappings and to stop them from continuing these illegal tappings dinha sa CICC, sa sud,” Tianero said,

“There was a report from people from the province. Of course we did not take it lightly mao na ipa-investigate, ipa-check lang para at least lisud sad kaayo magka-problema ta atong own government facility,” he added.

Tianero said that the Mandaue City Police Office is ready to extend help to the city government.

“Kami we’re just working with the paper works and the appropriate due process procedure. So if mahuman na ang appropriate notices, sakto na ang time to really move on kay naa may uban magtukod then we will demolish,” Tianero said.

Meanwhile, the 2,222 families living at the CICC grounds may have to bear further the intermittent weather condition pending authorities’ approval to allow them to stay inside the building.

For his part, Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III said he will not allow evacuees to occupy the idle building that has been abandoned after it suffered severe damage due to the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that rocked Bohol and Cebu in October 2013 and super typhoon Yolanda in November of the same year. 

“We would not take any chances. We can’t afford to risk the lives of these evacuees. In the meantime, diha lang usa sila sa grounds,” he said.

But Davide said he will wait for the results of the risk and structural integrity assessment conducted by the provincial disaster and engineering offices. (FREEMAN)