DAVAO CITY (UCAN): Thousands of victims of a fire that engulfed 1,200 houses in a coastal town along Piapi Boulevard in Davao City in Mindanao, the Philippines, are suffering at evacuation centres due to lack of food and water.
The fire struck at 1.00pm on February 25 and rendered 5,000 residents homeless, according to a report from the Bureau of Fire Protection.
“Please help us with more food and water. We have received government aid but it is not sufficient to sustain us because we have been here [at evacuation centres] since Saturday [February 25],” Miguel Tuazon, a victim, appealed.
The victims alleged a lack of government support, forcing them to beg for food and water in the streets.
Potable water and dried goods have been scarce due to competition for relief materials from government and non-government sources.
The fire department attributed the cause of the fire to a spark from an electrical socket in one of the victims’ houses. Police have arrested several people for looting as the power supply is often disrupted.
“People are hungry… electricity is not consistent. So, victims are tempted to steal or get more food because it is really scarce,” Tuazon added.
Some of the victims have been accommodated in basketball courts and are exposed to hostile weather conditions.
“It rained a day ago and the tents got wet. We could not use them in the evening,” another victim, Gerry Dumdulao, recounted.
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“Our children are getting sick because of the heat. We hope to transfer them to classrooms, instead of sleeping here on the basketball court,” he added.
Caritas Philippines has been distributing relief materials to the victims.
“We are now collecting in-kind donations such as food [canned goods, rice, instant noodles, etc.], clothes, and hygiene products. You may drop off your donations at various Caritas offices in the Philippines. You may also deposit your cash donations in the Caritas bank accounts,” Bishop Colin Bagaforo of Kidapawan, head of Caritas in the country, explained on Facebook.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) secretary, Rex Gatchalian, has distributed relief materials in three villages.
“I came at the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to extend help to those affected by the fire,” Gatchalian told the victims on February 26.
“We will coordinate with the city government to help you start over again. We will make sure that whatever your city government needs, DSWD will always be there as your partner,” he added.
Davao city lawmaker, Paolo Duterte, said rescue operations started two hours after the fire broke out and the damage caused to properties was “out of control.”
