Fire victims thankful, hopeful amid ruin

DESPITE losing nearly everything they own, the fire victims of barangays Tejero, Carreta, Quiot and Kinasang-an were thankful for small acts of mercy and remain hopeful for better days during the holiday season.
“It was just an air bed, my friend even said it had a little hole in it. However, that air bed saved us from rainy nights when we can’t sleep because the floor gets wet,” 42-year-old fire victim Wilmer Mondero said in Visayan.
Mondero, who resided in the hilly portion of Pardo for 13 years, said his wife, Mary Jane, was told by their neighbors that they can use their toilets.
“Tuloy ang buhay (Life goes on),” said Mondero, who suffers an congenital foot deformity.
Mondero said his only regret was that he may be unable to receive material benefits associated with his status as a Person with Disability (PWD) since his documents were consumed by the pre-dawn fire.
Small ways
“Though it hurts because we worked hard for the house, it’s going to be okay, we can still be happy this coming Christmas even in small ways,” Mondero said.
Another fire victim, 30-year-old Frevelyn Cadaengan, said she was thankful that one of her four little children was saved by her husband, Bryan, who went back to their burning house to rescue their one-year-old girl Jade.
“Nakulbaan ko kay ang duha ra ka bata ang akong nadala unya nalimtan namo si Jade may gani gibalikan sa akong bana (I was worried after realizing Jade was left behind, thank God my husband went back and rescued her),” Cadaengan said.
Their home was just a house away from where the fire started. Cadaengan said she was too frantic to realize that only her nine-year-old Freyan, six-year-old Bea and three-year-old Cesy were with her when they got out of the house.
Lying on a sack spread on the floor in a nearly roofless house, she said nothing will stop them from celebrating Christmas.
Rebuilt
“I am thankful because my family was spared and some people helped us to slowly rebuild our home,” Cadaengan said.
She said her husband Bryan received some tools from the office of his boss where he works as a construction worker.
Cadaengan said her family will stay with other families in one house while their home is being rebuilt.
Unlike the residents in Quiot and Kinasang-an, the residents of Carreta and Tejero were unable to build makeshift shelters in the place where their houses used to be located.
Some of the families stayed in Red Cross tents and others took shelter along Musoleos.
Gratitude
The same gratitude was shared by 38-year-old Mercy Ann Riteta .
“Makaingon mi nga lisod gyod among kahimtang karon pero mapasalamaton lang gihapon, (We can say we are in a very difficult situation but we are still thankful),” Riteta said.
Even with no toilets and no rooms for privacy, Riteta said her family will celebrate Christmas by buying whatever food they can afford for their feast.  “Even if there’s no roasted pig (lechon) we’ll still make merry,” Riteta said.
The four barangays were placed under calamity status to facilitate the allocation of funds for rebuilding and relief operations.  The Cebu City government ordered intensive re-blocking in the fire-hit barangays. /Apple Ta-as, Correspondent