Fire, tornado victims get free construction materials

MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada has distributed P3-million worth of construction materials to families hit by a tornado and a fire in the city last Sunday.

“They should wait… If I say I will do it, I will do it,” Estrada told reporters in a recent interview at Manila Hotel.

Last week, Estrada donated 2,000 galvanized iron sheets, “hundreds” of board feet of lumber and nails, among other construction materials to residents of Aplaya area in Baseco, Oroquieta Street in Sta. Cruz and Quiapo.

22 families

According to the Office of the City Engineer, 22 families in Quiapo had their houses damaged by the tornado which was captured on pictures and videos that went viral in social media sites last week.

On the other hand, 292 houses—including 50 shanties— sustained varying degrees of damage after a huge fire broke out just a few hours after the onslaught of the tornado.

“Through this humble assistance, we hope the affected residents will be able to repair  their homes. As I’ve been saying a long time ago, the city government is always with the Manileños in times of need,” Estrada said in a statement on Saturday.

Rogelio Legazpi, city engineer, said the local government was “working on providing initial aid to victims through the provision of construction materials.”