Warwick fire victims move to Budlaan

CEBU, Philippines - Despite pleas from a hundred displaced families, the Cebu City government  has started clearing Block 27 at the North Reclamation Area yesterday, which served as temporary relocation site for those affected by the fire that hit the Warwick Barracks in Barangay Ermita last January 11.

The displaced families will have to move to the relocation site in Barangay Budlaan, a  mountain barangay.

The clearing operation is expected to end today.

 City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council operations officer Alvin Santillana said they have started moving the families while the Department of Social and Services has started distributing half of the P10,000 financial assistance.

The amount is on top of the P5,000 financial assistance distributed to each family affected by the fire.

“Nag-start mi og mobilize. We are tasked to remove the tents and transfer it to Budlaan para naa silay kapuy-an for the meantime. The residents were also given cash aid,” Santillana told reporters yesterday.

 The families have asked the city government to allow them to stay at Block 27 longer but Mayor Michael Rama said the area needs to be vacated because several agencies and private entities have already expressed interest over the prime lot, which is worth a billion pesos. 

“Block 27 has to be free because it was not there also to be permanent. They (occupants) cannot also be transferred to a hotel or subdivision but to a relocation site. I’m leaving it to DWUP and DSWS because it’s their domain,” Rama said.

“It is a prime lot of the city beside a water, Mahiga river, huge infrastructures and welcome entry coming from the neighboring cities like Mandaue,” he added.

DWUP said the affected families were supposed to move since June 15 but the city allowed them to stay at Block 27 longer.  – (FREEMAN)