MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday said that it distributed around P1,556,822 worth of relief assistance to over 2,200 victims of the Baguio Market fire.
According to the local government unit’s initial assessment, 2,000 vendors were displaced after the fire hit the market late Saturday.
READ: Baguio market fire displaces nearly 2,000 vendors
“The DSWD Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center reported a total of 2,200 persons, covering 1,700 vendors with razed stalls and 500 surrounding vendors, unable to sell for two days. These 2,200 vendors were initially assisted by the [Field Office] through the provision of family food packs after the onset of fire,” said the DSWD in a statement.
The social welfare agency said that the 1,700 will be given P10,000 financial aid on Friday.
The DSWD’s field office in the region has also prepared 40,660 food packs and an emergency P5 million standby funds for emergency relief supplies.
This was not the first fire that struck the Baguio Market. A fire hit the market in 2009, shortly after the annual Baguio Flower Festival month.
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