Tom gives out P50 to children in Ermita

Mayor Tomas Osmeña distributed P50 each to hundreds of children in Barangay Ermita as a way to help those who got hit by the recent fire.

The mayor clarified that he is not campaigning considering that these kids cannot exercise the right to suffrage yet.

“I'm not a candidate. Just trying to help. I'm the mayor. They are not even voters, mga bata. Am I campaigning? Did I say vote? I'm not campaigning. It's my job,” he told reporters.

The mayor said he prepared less than P5,000 for the distribution of P50 cash for the kids.

He was accompanied by City Councilor Joy Augustus Young and candidate for barangay captain Amor Feliña.

Even with the opposing parties, Osmeña said he is willing to talk and discuss the needs of the affected families with the incumbent barangay captain Mark Miral, who also lost his house due to the fire that hit the barangay last Monday morning.

“We're monitoring whatever they need. We will release the financial assistance as soon as possible,” the mayor said.

Owners of the burnt houses will get P20,000 cash assistance while sharers and renters will get P5,000 each family.

Aside from that, the mayor said he will personally give 90 tents for the affected families and he will also have unlimited cold chocolate drink for the affected families.

Osmeña said he deployed employees of city's Department of Social Welfare and Services and Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor.

He said the city will extend help everyone regardless of political affiliation.

Miral, in a separate interview, thanked the mayor for helping his constituents. He said he is still waiting for the validated number of affected families so they will discuss with the barangay council on how much they will spend on their over P400,000 calamity fund.

He said he plans to give housing materials for the affected families since foods and clothes have been distributed from the city and other stakeholders.

As for the reblocking, Miral said he has yet to check the subdivision plan and check the sizes of the existing road.

He said he will support the establishment of the road so that emergency vehicles will have easy access in penetrating their barangay.

He said officials of the DWUP will conduct consultative meeting among affected families to discuss the city's plans.

Miral said he stopped campaigning for two days and resumed yesterday to respect the affected families. He said he has to triple his efforts since he is doing so many things right now.

The same thing happened with the other candidates in the barangay, Feliña said.

She said her team is also focusing on giving assistance to the affected families.

Miral said that the COMELEC notified the release of the calamity fund upon the barangay's state of calamity approved last Tuesday.

An amount of P33,750 or 25 percent from the total P450,000 of 2018 calamity fund will be released.

“About 25 percent ra atong makuha, tungod naa pa ta sa first quarter, simbako naa pay mahitabo lain bagyo unsa ba, at least naa pa tay makuot…So far akong nahuna-hunaan, housing materials kay abunda na sa food, clothing,” Miral said.

Miral said they have estimated that about 262 houses will benefit from these housing materials.

He added that the sketch or the floor plan of the house is still needed before the reblocking is conducted.

“Nag-agad pa ta sa sketch plan sa subdivision plan kay naa na uban nalapas na,” he said.

Fire victim Paquito Montefalcon, 63, agrees with the planned reblocking in their area .

"Okay kaayo mi. Mas maayo ma reblocking siya ug makapuyo na mig balik... Ako may owner, akoa man gyud ngalan diha. Diha sad nagpuyo akong anak, pero akong anak magbayad," said.

Magdalena Cartaguenas, 78, also agrees with Montefalcon to reblock.

"Wala mi titulo, iyaha man ni sa gobyerno. Mosugot basta butangan lang mi og asa mi makaagi. Dugay na kaayo mi sa Ermita Proper. Naglisod bitaw ang bombero kay gamay kaayo ang agianan. Materyales gyud among kailangan nga makatukod lang gyud mi sa among balay," Cartaguenas said.

However, Leticia Mabida, 58, also affected by the fire said that the place is small to reblock.

"Gamay ra man ning lugara. Di mi mosugot kay gamay na among kwarto, nya ang mga bisita unsaon di maigo. Katong nilapas nag-extension lapas sa kanal ba, angay na sila isibog," she said.

Bernadino Digman, 73, the grandfather of the two children who died, said there was no one to be blamed for the incident.

"Wala man kapasanginlan kay sa panghitaboa naa ang mga bata. Didto man nagsugod ang kayo. Dakong kasubo kay nahitabo naman. Kailangan naay makatabang sa among panginahanglan," he told The FREEMAN.

While they are still mourning, the eldest child, Jennelyn Digman, is still in critical condition.

Jocelyn Digman Bogais, 42, said that Osmeña has given them assistance when he visited the wake.

Ida Alolod, the mother of the two children who have passed away during the fire, is reportedly still in a state of shock.

“Wala man siya'y istoryaistorya pa. Nangutana ra siya asa iyang anak,” she added.

The Bureau of Fire and Protection confirmed no other fatalities were reported so far from yesterday morning from those who were rushed to the hospital after surviving the fire.

The wake of the additional fatality, which was confirmed by the authorities on Tuesday, Princess Alolod Echavez, is currently at Tabunok, Talisay where her parents are.

Contrary to earlier reported that Echavez's death was yesterday late afternoon, the authorities only confirmed yesterday afternoon that Princess' death was late afternoon on the day of the fire.