Property issues stall reblocking in Quiot

WHILE reblocking of the fire damaged area in barangay Carreta in Cebu City has started, City Hall has yet to decide if the same will be done in barangays Quiot and Kinasang-an, the city’s mayor said yesterday.

Mayor Michael Rama said the city could not immediately start reblocking the affected area in barangay Quiot as private-owned properties were included in Wednesday’s fire.

“In Quiot we have to be careful because there are areas there that are privately owned. But in sites not privately owned, then we can come in,” the mayor said.

The Cebu City Council has declared the three barangays, including barangay Tejero, under a state of calamity after over 700 families lost their homes in separate fires that struck the areas Tuesday and Wednesday.

Rama has directed Joey Daluz, head of Project Reduction of Danger Zones (Redz), to oversee the post-disaster operation in barangay Quiot.

“We will always be for reblocking so fire trucks can easily pass, another thing is to put up drainage. This is an opportunity to improve the area,” Daluz said.

Daluz added that he will also be talking with owners of the private lots to explain to them the reblocking plan.

In barangay Carreta, a bulldozer has started working on the reblocking of the fire-damaged area.

The Philippine Red Cross has also pledged to donate more tents to serve as temporary shelters for the fire victims.

“Yes we are giving 250 tents,” said Red Cross president Richard Gordon in a text message to CDN.

According to Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office operations head Alvin Santillana, they have started distributing tents to fire victims in Carreta.

He said more tents will have to be put up at the Doña Pepang cemetery to house the other victims currently staying in the barangay’s elementary school to enable the school to resume its classes./Correspondent Jose Santino Bunachita