Balanga placed under state of calamity after mall fire

Fire of still undetermined origin forced business establishments to close shop on Tuesday (May 1) and Wednesday (May 2). Employees of the Balanga City Hall were also asked to go home after lunch due to the unbearable smoke from the burning Victoria Galeria building. Photo by Greg Refraccion

The City of Balanga in Bataan has been placed under a state of calamity following a fire in a mall that left at least P600 million worth in structural damages and displaced almost 1,000 workers.

“According sa reports, mayroon kaming P500 to P600 million estimated structural damages, tapos around 1,000 ang na-displace noong nagka-sunog, added pa ‘yong 110 establishments and stalls na affected,” Acting Secretary of Balanga’s Sangguniang Panglungsod CJ Tuazon said in an exclusive interview with INQUIRER.net.

Tuazon added that the move to declare a state of calamity was based on the report and recommendation of the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (DRRMC).

“Measure siya (state of calamity declaration) to address the needs, hindi lang financially, kasi ‘yong pag-aabot ng in-kind relief goods ang pinaka-forefront na mabibigay namin,”

“’Yong ating CSWD (City Social and Welfare Development) nakikipag-communicate na sa concerned agencies para kung ano ang maabot na tulong.  Our PESO (Public Employment Service Office) has also communicated with DTI and Tesda regarding the necessary steps,” Tuazon added.

Balanga’s local government unit said the fire also paralyzed several businesses as stalls inside the Victoria Galeria mall have been closed for days.  Establishments near the area, public utility drivers, and commuters were also affected, as certain roads were rendered impassable for the past several days.

READ:  Unbearable smoke from Balanga mall blaze stops business, gov’t work

In addition, air quality in the city has also deteriorated caused by smoke from the mall fire, a monitoring report said.

Meanwhile, Balanga Senior Fire Officer Dan Papa said the fire, which started on Tuesday, was declared out at 5:30 a.m. on Friday.  Investigators have yet to indicate the cause of the fire.  /muf