While the city of Iloilo was celebrating its annual Dinagyang Festival, Sunday, January 22, the fire which came from unattended flat iron in Renato Rosales' house at Zone s, Brgy. Tanza-Timawa gutted the 565 houses, the local news said.
As per the initial investigation report of the Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP), the fire which started past 5 in the afternoon. razed most of the houses in the nearby villages of Tanza-Esperanza and Malipayon. Firefighting lasted for six hours.
President Benigno Aquino III and sister Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz expressed their sympathy to the city government and the fire victims. They phoned Iloilo City Mayor Jade Patrick Mabilog Monday and pledged financial assistance to the victims.
Meanwhile the homeless families are presently housed in a three separate evacuation centers in the elementary schools of Manuel L. Quezon , A. Bonifacio, and Rizal Elementary School. Since their houses were made of light materials, they were unable to salvage their properties, and besides they were in the city celebrating and enjoying the revelry of the annual Dinagyang Festival.
Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has provided immediate assistance to the evacuees by activating the city’s crisis center, and will release part of city's P18-million quick response fund for the victims' recovery from the tragedy.
This latest fire was the third biggest disaster ever happened in the city’s history. No dead casualties were reported. The properties damaged were not determined yet as of this posting time.
The worst happened on February 7, 1966, that gutted down to ashes almost one-third of the city’s commercial district.
And the second biggest happened in 1992, which hit the city’s terminal market and burned over 1,000 establishments and displaced 3,500 families.
(The Dinagyang is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City, Philippines. It is held on the fourth Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog in Cebu and the Ati-Atihan in Aklan to honor the Santo Niño and to celebrate the arrival on Panay of Malay settlers and the subsequent selling of the island to them by the Atis.)
(with reports from Edgar Siscar of ILOILO UPDATE)
President Benigno Aquino III and sister Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz expressed their sympathy to the city government and the fire victims. They phoned Iloilo City Mayor Jade Patrick Mabilog Monday and pledged financial assistance to the victims.
Meanwhile the homeless families are presently housed in a three separate evacuation centers in the elementary schools of Manuel L. Quezon , A. Bonifacio, and Rizal Elementary School. Since their houses were made of light materials, they were unable to salvage their properties, and besides they were in the city celebrating and enjoying the revelry of the annual Dinagyang Festival.
Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has provided immediate assistance to the evacuees by activating the city’s crisis center, and will release part of city's P18-million quick response fund for the victims' recovery from the tragedy.
This latest fire was the third biggest disaster ever happened in the city’s history. No dead casualties were reported. The properties damaged were not determined yet as of this posting time.
The worst happened on February 7, 1966, that gutted down to ashes almost one-third of the city’s commercial district.
And the second biggest happened in 1992, which hit the city’s terminal market and burned over 1,000 establishments and displaced 3,500 families.
(The Dinagyang is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City, Philippines. It is held on the fourth Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog in Cebu and the Ati-Atihan in Aklan to honor the Santo Niño and to celebrate the arrival on Panay of Malay settlers and the subsequent selling of the island to them by the Atis.)
(with reports from Edgar Siscar of ILOILO UPDATE)
565 houses! Tsk Tsk. This is is so sad and very untimely. I just hope that the government can provide them a decent place to stay. On the other hand, we should be thankful too that nobody was killed. Let us just pray that the casualties will be able to recover fast from this tragedy.
ReplyDeletesir Gil i was in Bacolod on Sunday when I've heard this sad news:( sana makarecover agad ang mga apektado,,,
ReplyDeleteOMG! I hope the government will help the people. I feel devastated from what I have read in your article. It would be hard for most of the people live there to start building their houses and start their living. I'll pray for them.
ReplyDeleteSir, you really are a newsman, you have completed the answers needed in a report. (The 4 wives and 1 Husband) Just kidding, 4W and 1H
ReplyDeletei feel for those fire victims, i also lost most of my possessions and important documents as well as my treasured baby photos of my kids when fire hit my aunt's place. i hope they recover soon, which i'm sure they will.
ReplyDeleteaww that was so sad lalo pa it happened during the festival..
ReplyDeletethat's really sad... i do pray and hope that they will recover soon.
ReplyDeleteThis is really sad.. Of all the days, talagang sa festival date pa. I hope the victims will recover really soon. I'll also be praying for them.
ReplyDelete