Treñas assures Nabitasan fire victims of status quo
Residents who lost their houses in a fire recently in Brgy. Nabitasan, La Paz could still go back and rebuild their houses.
This was assured by Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas after no concrete decision was made by the Department of Education (DepEd), owner of the property where the burned houses stand, regarding the matter.
Treñas said, at the moment there is “status quo” in the fire affected area.
It was learned that the fire victims have started to pick up the pieces by placing bamboo poles as initial steps in constructing their houses.
Treñas yesterday met with DepEd regional director Mildred Garay and City Division of Schools Superintendent Erlinda Gencaya and discussed the fate of the fire victims.
The fire victims are still occupying the Nabitasan Elementary School.
After the fire, Garay wanted to fence the property and prohibited the fire victims from returning in the area. Of the four hectares property, the Nabitasan fire victims occupy 8,050 square meters.
The four-hectare lot was donated by the Jalandoni Estate to the then Ministry of Education for educational purposes only.
Before the Jan. 23 fire that totally razed 134 houses and claimed one life, DedEd officials once attempted to evict the informal settlers out of the property, but it did not materialize.
Treñas said Garay is going to meet with DepEd top officials in Manila to discuss the problem and the proposal of the city government to convert portions of the property into a relocation site.
Garay will also present the city’s blue print plan drafted by the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (Icupao) to the national education officials for the city’s proposed relocation site project.
The Gawad Kalinga is ready to assist the fire victims should the DepEd officials will agree with the proposal. The regional director will be back after one week time, said Treñas.