Davao mayor denies being an endorser of fire-stricken NCCC Mall

This photo, taken on Dec, 23, 2017, shows firefighters attempting to put out a fire at the NCCC Mall mall in Davao City. Thirty-eight people were killed in the fire. (Photo by MANMAN DEJETO / AFP)

DAVAO CITY – Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio on Thursday broke her silence over what she described as questions about her impartiality in connection with the NCCC Mall fire, which killed 38 people.

“There have been suggestions that I should inhibit myself from the investigation of the NCCC mall fire because of an endorsement contract,” she said in a statement.

But she said she could not inhibit herself because she was not even a member of the investigation team of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

“For the record, I am not part of the investigation team,” she said.

Carpio said she never volunteered to be part of the investigators.

“And under normal circumstances, a city mayor does not sign fire investigation reports of the BFP,” she added.

She also denied being an endorser for NCCC Mall.

“Also, I am not an endorser of the NCCC mall, but I have a commitment with Choice Mart, which is another company of NCCC supermarket,” she said.

She also responded to criticisms, mostly on social media, about her response to the crisis.

“Nobody can question how I did my work as mayor in helping the family of the victims, the BFP, the NCCC, and SSI officials,” she said.

SSI is the Survey Sampling International Philippines, a call center that occupied part of the mall.

“The way my staff and (city social services) handled everything during the evening of December 23 until today prevented chaos and hysteria among the victims and Dabawenyos in general,” she added.

She lamented that the some people were using the incident to find fault with her.

“I welcome any investigation on how I did my work in this particular matter,” she added.