Under normal circumstances, All Saints' Day is a time to relax and a moment to bond for every Christian family, as we commemorate the memories of our loved ones who had passed away. However, in the case of more than five hundred (500) families of C. Laserna St., Kalibo, Aklan, October 31, 2009 was a day of great panic and anxiety, a day of pain and mourning, when a huge fire ravaged their homes and property and left them with nothing but the sight of burnt ground and ashes.At around 1:00pm on October 31, a huge fire, suspected to be caused by faulty electrical wiring (as declared by the Bureau of Fire Protection in Kalibo), devastated more than 500 houses along the Dried Up Sooc River Bed at C. Laserna St., Kalibo, Aklan. The fire, which started at Purok 5 and spread across Puroks 2, 3 and 4, spared nothing in its way for a full hour and a half. Though many fire stations responded to the call, the narrow pathway and the absence of access roads prevented the fire trucks from arriving at the scene. Though the people tried to control the fire through 'bayanihan', their efforts were futile.
According to the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP), Puroks 1 through 6 has a total land area of 13.4 hectares, out of which almost seven (7) hectares were affected. Initially, the damage was estimated to be about 10 million pesos.
The Victims survivor of Disastrous Fire...
The affected families and communities are mainly of the urban poor. They are classified actual occupants of the Dried Up Sooc River Bed, which the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had declared to be public land. Most of the residents rely on seasonal job opportunities and are service workers like sakadas, labanderas, sales girls, padyak drivers, tricycle drivers, vendors, scavengers, manicurists, hair dressers and small store owners. Hence, they have no savings spared in preparation for the eventuality of this kind of disaster.
Since most of the male residents were in Sakada in various haciendas which are located far away from the place of calamity, women assume all the responsibilities and attempt to save any belongings and ensure welfare of their family. As the classes will resume on November 3, 2009, it is projected that many children will be failed to go to school because of the absence of school uniforms, school supplies, footwear and inability of their parents to provide school allowances for their fares and school fees.
Of the affected number of families, two hundred seventy two (272) are members of the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay), a national alliance of urban poor and workers organizations operating here in the province.
Aside from devastated properties, most of the victims had suffered burns in their feet and survived in barefoot. These victims’ survivors are the very same survivors of typhoon Frank that prior to the occurrence of calamitous fire, had not recovered yet from the previous calamitous situation they had suffered. Until now, these people are still waiting for the calamity assistance for the victims of typhoon Frank to come.
At present only few families took refuge to the identified evacuation site of the municipality of Kalibo. Instead, most of them set up makeshift and brave the dew of the night and the heat of the sun beside the river banks; some took refuge under the spared banana trees in the adjacent Purok; and others had find shelter under the bridge. All these options were taken by the victims in fear that the government would not allow them to return to their home abode.
Although the fire had claimed no lives, but the extent of damage suffered by the victims, we know, they could not start anew without your benevolent assistance.
The government respond:
The office of Congressman Miraflores had provided more or less 2 kilos of rice to the affected families. On the other hand, the local Government Unit (LGU) of the municipality of Kalibo had declared the entire barangay under state of Calamity, but until now, the affected families have received no concrete assistance from the LGU. Likewise from the provincial government of Aklan. Instead, the municipality of Kalibo take opportunity of the calamitous situation to implement its zoning ordinance in blitzkrieg at the height of the hopelessness and anxieties of the people.
The Task Force Tabang... a campaign for immediate relief and rehabilitation assistance for the affected families and the urgent needs identified....
In response to the urgent for relief and rehabilitation assistance, the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap Aklan re-organized the Task Force Tabang, the organization formed last June 2007 in response to the calamitous situation brought about by typhoon Frank. This time it hopes to solicit resources to assist the victims to rebuild their lives anew.
As the calamitous fire left nothing to the unprepared victims, any materials and amount of financial assistance is of great use to the victim survivors. However, the Task Force has identified the list of immediate relief and rehabilitation needs for the guidance of the donors and to optimize any donations that would come. These are the following:
For the Immediate Relief Assistance....
1. Food Supply and Water
2. Clothing and any footwear (for all ages and gender)
3. School Uniforms, school shoes, school supplies, school bags
4. Shelter ---> construction materials, plastic coated sacks for temporary shelter, straw lace or iron wires, batteries and flashlights, mats, blankets and mosquito nets
5. soap (laundry and bath)
6. Kitchen utensils (rice pots, kettle, plates , glass, spoon etc)
7. medicines for burned and common and preventable diseases
Rehabilitation
· Core Shelter ===> Housing Construction Materials
· Initial capital for livelihood
· Disaster and Trauma management Training
On this context, we in the Taskforce are knocking on your door again, appealing for your brotherly concern to respond on the urgent call to provide relief assistance to the struggling urban poor families in their effort to rebuild their lives anew.
You may please send your donations and assistance to our center at Mrs. Phoebe M. Dalida’s Residence, Purok 2, C. Laserna St., Poblacion, Kalibo, Aklan. You may also contact us at CP # 09284496857 or Landline Nos. 268-43-65.
Should your donations be in the form of check or in cash, may we advise you to please kindly address or deposit it to KAISOG Inc., Savings Account Number 0451-1810-92, Land Bank of the Philippines, Kalibo Branch. (KAISOG is an acronym for the Katilingban sang Imol sa Syudad, an organization of the urban poor).
Attached herewith, please find copy of the initial list of the fire victims and photo documentations of the incident for your reference.
Thank you very much and more power!
Very truly yours,
Mr. George T. Calaor
Coordinator
Task Force Tabang-Kalibo, Aklan
news links:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20091101-233424/Aklan-fire-leaves-2000-people-homeless
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/abs/20091102/tph-fire-guts-400-homes-in-kalibo-aklan-85c5a6c.html
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