Mayor Rama orders quick repair of classrooms destroyed by blaze

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama has ordered the Local School Board to immediately repair the rooms at City Central Night High School, which was hit by fire last Saturday.

This, as the mayor told the owners of the lot occupied by some 119 families in Barangay Quiot that was also razed by fire on the same day not to make the incident as an excuse to evict the families.

“I will never agree to make the fire to further oppress the occupants,” Rama said in a news conference yesterday.

The mayor said he will never agree that the displaced families will no longer be allowed to rebuild their houses on the lots.

It was earlier reported that the owners of the property that was razed by Saturday’s fire won’t allow the displaced occupants to return to the area as they will be using the lot.

Records

Based on the records of the City’s Department of Social Welfare and Services, 88 houses were burned during the incident.

The Quiot Barangay Council has declared the area under a state of calamity, which allowed them to release P105,000 in calamity funds.

Asked if the City will also extend financial assistance to the affected families, Rama said the usual P10,000 financial assistance will be given to them.

As for the City Central Night High School, Rama said he has instructed Ester Cubero of the Local School Board to appropriate funds from the more than P200-million special education fund of the City for this year for the immediate repair of the burned classrooms.

“Ato nang ipadali. Alegrahon na kay luoy ang mga bata (We have to repair the classrooms right away because I pity the children),” he said.

The fire reportedly destroyed 11 rooms and damaged two others, affecting at least 500 students.

The Bureau of Fire Protection earlier pegged the damage to property at P150,000.

Fire inverstigatores were looking into the possibility that faulty electrical wiring or a gas tank that leaked and exploded caused the blaze.