Lacuna turns Tondo public schools to evac centers

The local government of Manila has ordered the suspension of both face-to-face and online classes at Gen. Vicente Lim Elementary School on Monday as it is being used as one of the evacuation centers for families displaced by two separate fires that hit residential areas in Tondo over the weekend.

As of the latest count, the fires have affected a total of 1,800 people.

Manila spokesperson Atty. Princess Abante said that make-up classes will be held for the approximately 3,900 students of the school and that the resumption of classes will be announced soon.

Mayor Honey Lacuna, along with Vice Mayor Yul Servo and city councilors, personally visited the fire scene to assess the situation and determine the necessary assistance.

They were accompanied by social welfare department chief Re Fugoso and Arnel Angeles, head of the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO).

According to Fugoso, the affected families were required to fill out ‘family disaster cards’ for registration, record-keeping and needs assessment.

Lacuna directed all concerned local government units to provide all possible assistance to the victims, while Servo mobilized his “Lingkod-Bayan” team to support city units.

Immediately after the fire, the affected families were placed in evacuation centers where they were provided with food, water and partition tents as temporary shelter.

Fugoso said that Lacuna had already ordered the processing of cash aid for each of the affected families from the city government.

The mayor said that while the monetary assistance is expected to help the displaced families start over, it is the city government’s small way of showing them that their local government is there for them.

While in temporary shelters, she assured that the local government will continue providing them with all possible assistance.

Reports said that the blaze struck at 11:44 a.m. on Aroma Road 10 in Vitas, Tondo, and at 2:30 p.m. on Balintawak Street, also in Tondo.

No one was killed or injured in both incidents, and arson investigators are looking into the cause of the fires and the total estimated damage to property.

Meantime, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office — National Capital Region, through its Disaster Response and Management Division, conducted a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis on Sunday at the site of the fire in Barangay 105.

Based on the assessment, some 1,737 families were affected by the fire and are now staying in evacuation centers set up in Barangay 105, Barangay 106, and the San Vicente Lim Elementary School.

As part of its disaster response efforts, the DSWD Field Office NCR is assisting the local government unit of Manila to monitor the status of affected families and extend needed relief assistance.