At least 14 people were hurt in the incident

TACLOBAN CITY- A big fire hit in one of this city’s slum areas on November 2 that injured 14 people as fire authorities have yet to determine the cause of the blaze that gutted down 35 houses.
The more than an hour fire hit Barangay 37, Seawall area, at around 11:10 am with fire authorities declaring a fire out at 12:15 noon.
FO3 Jonald Lace, fire investigator of the City Fire Office, said that they have yet to know the cause of the fire that gutted down 35 houses which were mostly made of light materials.
He said that based on their initial investigation, the fire started at two-storey boarding house owned by Regina Orgena who was not around at the time of the incident.
“Our investigation is still ongoing so we cannot categorically say what was the cause of the fire incident. The fire spread quickly because the houses were mostly made of light materials and aided with strong winds,” Lace said.
The area is located within the city’s port area.
Damage to the fire incident has yet to be determine.
Village councilor Cris Abadines said that based on the information she gathered from the residents, the fire could have been ignited by an unattended rice cooker left by boarders identified as Rez Abuya and Marvin Lucas.
Lace, however, said that based on his investigation to both Abuya and Lucas, they denied that they left the rice cooker when they leave the boarding at around 6 am.
The fire incident resulted to the injury of 14 people, mostly lacerations. But one of them, Aldren Ocado,25, suffered a first-degree burn who was immediately received treatment from a medical staff from the City Health Office.
Rosanna Galangue, 45, said that she was cleaning their house when she heard loud of screams that a fire engulfed their village.
“I immediately ran away from our house, bringing nothing as I grabbed my daughter Riza Mae,” she said.
Olive Solayao, meanwhile, said that she was preparing to visit their departed loved ones at the city public cemetery when the fire broke out.
“We hurriedly left our house with just our clothes on,” the 41-year old mother said.
At that time, she was with her mother, Marina, 65; siblings Emilyn, 38 and Erwin, 42; and her daughter Lyka Mae, 7.
The affected residents, for the meantime, will be accommodated at the barangay hall.
The City Social and Development Office immediately provided food packs to fire victims.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY-Its been six years now but families of those who perished when super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ pummeled this city continue to long and miss them.
And during the observance of the All Saints and All Souls Days, they visited the mass grave where those who died due to Yolanda were entombed.
Nine-year old Nathalia, who declined to give her family name, said that she misses her mother, among those who died when their village in Alimasag, San Jose district, was pummeled by the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland on November 8,2013.
“I really miss my mother. I just wished she was still around so everything will be okay,’ she said.
Aside from her mother, also killed were her three sisters.
Juanito Martinez, 54, said that he never fail to visit the graveyard of his wife and children who were also buried at the mass grave located in Barangay Basper.
‘Visiting the mass grave has been part of our lives. I miss my wife and children. I still cry (for them),”he said.
Martinez lost his wife Gina and three children, Bernadeth,9; Ma. Riza,8; and Margarita,7 due to Yolanda.
He said that while he misses his wife and children, his only consolation was he and his six other children survived the onslaught of Yolanda.
“I am sad that this happened to our family but still I am asking my wife to help me heal and be strong for my children,” he said.
The mass grave is where more than 2,200 people were buried by the city government who died due to Yolanda.
(JAZMIN BONIFACIO)

TACLOBAN CITY-Some 40 residents of the Community of Hope Village received livelihood assistance from the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) in partnership with Operation Blessing (OB).
The turn-over ceremony of the livelihood assistance was held on Tuesday (October 29) at the sprawling 6-hectare village for ‘Yolanda’ survivors in Brgy. 103 Palanog, this city.
Guests of honor during the launching were Executive Vice President and Chief operating officer of CBN Asia and President of Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines Peter Kairuz, and 700 Club Asia’s Alex Tinsay.
Also present was the chairman of the CCT Credit Cooperative Professor Ron Chua.
The first batch of beneficiaries comprises 10 families per livelihood project, namely farming, piggery, poultry and fish pond.
The seed capital for the livelihood undertaking was provided by CCT, and profits from the venture will be equitably shared by the member-beneficiaries said a source from the CCT.
OB started the Community of Hope Village in 2015 as a permanent housing program for families displaced by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. The village is currently home to 93 households. (CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)

LLORENTE, Eastern Samar – This town needs more evacuation centers, especially for those living in remote areas that often experience flooding incidents.
This appeal was made by Mayor Daniel Boco who said that an evacuation center is very important to secure a safe temporary shelter for displaced families in times of calamities and disasters as the interior villages are only accessible by trekking which makes it harder for residents to evacuate to the town center.
Of the 33 villages of Llorente, eight interior villages, namely, Hugpa, Waso, Cantomco, Maca-anga, Magtino, Canduros, Burak and Barobo, needs evacuation centers to ensure the safety of residents during flooding.
He said that residents in the town centers have evacuation centers where they can temporarily evacuate in case of a calamity like flooding.
Boco said that while they have already the designs for these evacuation centers what hampers them to do these is due to lack of funds.
According to the town mayor, the water levels in these barangays reaches up to the roofs reason why based on their proposed designs, the ground floors are open.
“As the leader of Llorente, my main concern is the safety of my people. That is why when there are agencies and organizations that visits my town and I know they can help us in terms of funding, we always present to them our plan on building evacuation centers in interior villages,” Boco said.
“We’re hoping that government agencies can provide funding for evacuation centers including construction of river flood control projects. Our town has a minimal budget. It is not enough to fund big projects such as flood control,” he added.
Mayor Boco said that aside from the need of evacuation centers and flood control projects, access road to these interior villages is also important.
He said that while they were able to secure a P10 million funding from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the amount is still not enough to build access road to the eight remote barangays of Llorente.
Mayor Boco said that among the evacuation centers constructed within the town proper is a three storey facility in Barangay 3 which was built in the amount of P20 million, with the DILG under its Bottom-up Budgeting providing a P20 million funding with the remaining P5 million from the local government unit as their counterpart.
The said facility could accommodate 300 families or 710 persons and provided with amenities like potable water, electricity, comfort rooms, kitchen, laundry area and rooms for couples.
The construction of a new evacuation center in the town proper has minimized the use of classrooms during times of calamities and disaster, the town mayor said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)