MANILA — Some 800 people were rendered homeless when a fire hit Oroquieta Street in Santa Cruz, Manila last Friday.
To lessen the troubles the fire victims are facing at the moment, the government has provided them food, groceries, hygiene packs, and financial aid.
“We have here 200 Pantawid families, 40 of them fire victims, those who are not included in the Pantawid. We also help them, we have 600 food packs distributed here,” Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) officer-in-charge Emmanuel Leyco told Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Sunday.
Leyco said the fire victims would also be provided with cash assistance–more than PHP200,000 for those who would build houses, and about PHP300, 000 for the family food packs.
He said the city of Manila had offered P. Gomez School as an evacuation center for the victims who were staying on the streets.
The Department of Health (DOH) also distributed hygiene packs to every family at the evacuation site.
“The packs include soaps, toothbrushes, towels, underwears, insecticide, and medicines,” DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said.
Duque said the DOH would also give “free health services in hospitals like Fabella, Tondo, San Lazaro, Jose Reyes, they just have to bring the card.”
He added seminars on hygiene would also be set and done in batches.
Barangay Chairman Lemuell Labaniego said help from government representatives had come in quick.
“The DSWD was the first one here and they gave food and listed the names of the people. The National Housing Authority (NHA) said they would arrange the housing,” Labaniego said.
Special Assistant to the President Bong Go also visited the victims Sunday and distributed shoes, clothing and other personal items to the fire victims.
Policemen were deployed at the disaster area to ensure the safety of the people and harmony among the fire victims. (Ma. Teresa Montemayor/PNA)
