Cebu, Lapu-Lapu cities making room for evacuees

The number of evacuees at the Tinago sports complex rose to 156 with the arrival of more evacuees from Tacloban City on board a navy ship that docked in Mactan Island last Friday.

Barangay Tinago chairman Joel Garganera said he could accommodate 300 evacuees at most to prevent congestion.

The spillover will be brought to the Cogon Ramos sports center.

New arrivals are given medical aid by Cebu City government doctors and stress debriefing by social workers.

At the Tinago gym, evacuees are given meal packs daily by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Floor mats, running water and an outside tent for cooking ensure the displaced Leyte residents can get sufficient rest.

The length of their stay is indefinite, but a number are just waiting for other family members to arrive before deciding their next move. Some head off to relatives in Manila and other parts of the Visayas to start a new life.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said the city government is open to a Red Cross proposal to set up a tent city in a one-hectare portion of the South Road Properties (SRP) to accommodate more evacuees.

The tent city will be located close to a logistics hub which will also be set up at the reclamation area to store supplies and equipment that will be brought to Cebu en route to Leyte and Samar provinces hit by typhoon Yolanda.

Rama asked other Metro Cebu local government units (LGUs) to host some of the evacuees which is expected to reach 3,000 individuals.

He said only Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza expressed willingness to accommodate 1, 000 evacuees .

In Mandaue City, Mandaue City Administrator James Abadia said they give priority to the installation of medical equipment by the Doctors Without Borders team in the Banilad gym before accepting the evacuees from Tacloban City.

He said Mandaue City cannot accommodate the evacuees in schools to avoid disturbing ongoing classes.

Abadia said the city is experiencing a classroom shortage after several were damaged in the Oct. 15 earthquake.

“We will look for partner nongovernment organizations to somehow extend our support to them but hopefully the distressed areas would be normalized very soon,” Abadia said. Doris C. Bongcac and Norman V. Mendoza