Reblocking eyed after Lorega fire
The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office has recommended a reblocking in Sitio Riverside, Barangay Lorega after a fire hit the area last Monday.
CCDRRMO chief Nagiel Bañacia said that reblocking is necessary to prevent a similar situation in which emergency responders had very limited access to the fire scene. Cebu City fire marshal Chief Insp. Noel Ababon admitted earlier that one of their difficulties in putting out the fire in Lorega was the very narrow access.
Bañacia said the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) will conduct a survey in the area to determine the property owners.
“Sutaon sa DWUP kung kinsay tagiya sa yuta, mobalik nata sa atong Build, Back, Better, we will see to it nga dili na masunog pag-usab. Ang atong strategy, the usual reblocking and maghimo nata og easements sa sapa,” Bañacia said.
DWUP chief Genevieve Alcoseba confirmed in an earlier interview that the area hit by the fire is owned by several private individuals. Alcoseba said they are still meeting the lot owners for consultation.
She said that the DWUP could not decide whether or not the lot owners will allow the fire victims to rebuild their houses.
Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella is supporting the recommendation to reblock the area.
“Kini gyung atong pag-reblock unta sa atong mga gipuy-an dinha, wa paman sad nato matan-aw kung unsay classification anang yuta naa diha, whether it’s a public land or a private land, whatever it is, kinahanglan gyud tag-space reblocking,” Labella said.
At least 41 houses were razed by fire in the area Monday morning. Based on the validation conducted by DWUP, there were 82 families affected with a total of 400 individuals.
The fire victims are temporarily sheltered at the barangay hall. They were provided with food packs, disaster kits, and soon construction materials to help them rebuild.
“The city is still giving the usual food packs, disaster kits and construction materials,” Bañacia said.—
Gabutan, CNU Intern/FPL
Joyce Ann
The Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 has clarified that it is not expanding the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) contrary to reports circulating around because of the ongoing field validation for the implementation of the Unconditional Cash Transfer Program.
DSWD-7 Director Ma. Evelyn B. Macapobre said that the moratorium on 4Ps has not been lifted until now. This means that no additional beneficiaries will be admitted into the program. Macapobre also denied reports that there is another program called 5Ps.
Macapobre explained that if there are DSWD field personnel conducting validation, it is solely for the implementation of the UCT program, which is intended to provide cash assistance to 10 million identified poor households.
Macapobre issued the clarification after receiving several inquiries from the public about the alleged expansion of 4Ps. Reports had it that all households subjected to field validation will be automatically included in the beneficiaries of 4Ps.
Macapobre explained that these households subjected to field evaluation are beneficiaries of the UCT program. Under the program they are entitled P200 monthly subsidy for 2018 and P300 monthly subsidy for the years 2019 and 2020 to help them in their daily living amid increasing prices of goods and services as a result of the TRAIN Law.
There were 10 million poor households identified as beneficiaries of the program. These include the 4.4 million Pantawid beneficiaries, 3 million indigent social pensioners, and 2.6 potential beneficiaries who are non-Pantawid and Social Pensioners but are in the DSWD Listahanan.
Out of 2.6 million potential beneficiaries, 317,624 targeted poor households will come from Central Visayas. Macapobre said these are now subject of their field validation.—
Palaubsanon/FPL
Mitchelle L.