Mandaue official refutes claim that fire victims’ relocation raffled off

File photo from Mandaue City PIO

A MANDAUE City official clarified that all Looc fire victims would be relocated to the temporary housing units in Barangay Guizo in response to rumors that beneficiaries were chosen through a raffle draw.

But lawyer Johnbee Biton, head of the House Urban and Development Office (HUDO), said that senior citizens, lactating mothers, and some officials of homeowners associations would be given priority to relocate.

“Dili ni siya bunot-bunot, unahon lang nato og prioritize ang mga senior, bag-ong panganak, mga official, pero dili tanan,” Biton told reporters on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

(This is not random, but we will prioritize the seniors, lactating mothers, officials, but not all.)

On March 18, 48 temporary housing units were turned over to the fire victims.

Biton said the remaining 72 units would also be given before March ends.

The temporary shelters were donated by the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), in cooperation with the Mandaue City Government and other stakeholders.

These are intended for the victims of the fire that hit Sitio Paradise in Barangay Looc in November 2022.

According to the plan, around 120 temporary housing units will be constructed on four blocks across the now-defunct Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) in Barangay Guizo, with each unit having an area of 20 square meters, as well as water and electricity supply.

The fire that occurred in Barangay Looc in November left at least 600 families homeless.

The fire victims were evacuated to the Looc Gym, transferred to the Cesar M. Cabahug Elementary School, and then to Norkis Park, which is across the Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School.

Biton said the victims were housed in large modular tents at the Norkis Park, but their number had dropped to around 140 when some of them went back to their respective provinces and others rented homes.

He said all previous fire victims and informal settlers living in CICC would be transferred to permanent shelters, as the City inked a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development to establish 14,000 affordable housing units for the urban poor across the city.

Vincent Gay Aquino, Hudo project coordinator, said the permanent housing units will be built in three locations — Barangays Looc, Opao, and Tipolo, including the Tipolo Residences in Sitio Maharlika Barangay Tipolo, whose construction is still ongoing. (HIC)