Rains end standoff over use of building

CEBU CITY—Rains spawned by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” ended the standoff between the Cebu City government and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Central Visayas on Thursday night over the use of a portion of the BFP regional building.

The downpour at past 7 p.m. forced fire fighters and BFP rescue personnel to remove a barricade they put up to block a city demolition team from removing their belongings on the second floor and transferring these to the Cebu City Sports Center, which was about 500 meters away.

One fire truck, however, blocked the main entrance of the BFP building on Natalio Bacalso Avenue in this city.

The city eventually allowed the BFP personnel to occupy the second floor on Friday and use it as base to operate Oplan Yolanda. The fire trucks that blocked the BFP building were also removed.

Senior Supt. Ma. Luisa Hadjula, BFP Central Visayas director, said BFP people would leave the area after Yolanda has passed.

The standoff started with the refusal of Mayor Michael Rama to allow the BFP to occupy four rooms on the second floor of the building, which are being used by the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

The city hospital has been operating inside the BFP building after the CCMC building was declared unfit for occupancy following the Oct. 15 7.2-magnitude quake.

The second floor of the BFP building and the left wing used to be occupied by offices of the Cebu City Fire Department (CCFD), which have been transferred to give way to CCMC operations.

Use of the two-story BFP building, built in the early 1970s, is being shared by the CCFD and the BFP. It, however, stands on a lot being disputed by the city government and the BFP.

On Thursday, Hadjula, regional BFP chief, went to the BFP building and asked Dr. Gloria Duterte, CCMC chief, if the BFP could use the rooms on the second floor.

The rooms would be used as command center and sleeping quarters for BFP personnel who were on duty for the storm.

Rama, however, refused to allow the BFP to use the rooms, saying these were being used by CCMC.

Despite the mayor’s refusal, Hadjula ordered his men to set up sleeping quarters on the second floor of the BFP left wing.