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Thursday, February 12, 2004
Defective tank valve blamed for damage
By Linette C. Ramos
A DEFECTIVE valve of a water tank in Barangay San Nicolas angered Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday. He said a number of houses could have been saved from the fire had the valve been functioning.
The valve worth only P3,000 has been defective for two years already, he said, but no one bothered to fix it.
In a press conference yesterday, Osmeña also said that the City Government will give a P5,000 financial assistance to the family of the 80-year-old man who died in the fire in Barangay Suba, as well as other forms of assistance to those whose lost their homes.
San Nicolas and Suba are neighboring barangays.
“What I was worried about is that our water tank was still not functioning and there is no excuse for it. If that was operational, the fire would have been put under control faster. For a P3,000 item, our firefighting capability is reduced by 80 percent,” the mayor said.
P1.4 million
The fire, declared a general alarm, was controlled after 20 minutes. Total damage to property was estimated at 1.4 million, including 20 houses that were gutted.
Osmeña said he was annoyed when fire trucks from neighboring municipalities had to go to the fire scene, when firefighters could have refilled their trucks at the San Nicolas water tank, which has a capacity of 20,000 gallons.
At the City Council session yesterday, Vice Mayor Michael Rama also ordered the Coastal Management Board to make suction pumps readily available in the 11 fire hydrants in the coastal barangays.
Rama said firefighting equipment should be in place at all times since the congested coastal barangays are prone to fire.
Osmeña also told reporters that the proposed swimming pool, which will also serve as a source of water for Barangay Labangon in case of fire, was bid out last Tuesday.
Students in the barangay can also use the pool for swimming lessons; the firefighters would be the lifeguards.
(February 12, 2004 issue)
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