Weekend fires score need for better housing

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas on Monday said the fire that gobbled almost 300 houses in Molo district on Jan 28, 2023 emphasized the need for better housing solutions for residents.

In his regular press conference, Treñas recognized that the fire that hit West Habog-habog and San Juan villages was the worst in recent history.

As of 11:00 p.m. Monday, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) reported that 297 families with 927 individuals were affected, with an estimated ₱4.75 million in damages.

The worst conflagration to occur in the city was in 1996 in City Proper district which gobbled buildings in 8 major streets and lasted for 12 hours. An estimated P50 million worth of property went up in smoke.

Because of the damage to the Molo district villages, Treñas announced that he was initiating talks with barangay officials, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and local private property owners.

Joining them are the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office and the City Assessor’s Office to determine the extent of the damage as well as of the lots to be possibly acquired.

“We will buy the [fire-affected] land, then we will converse with the DHSUD if we can have a medium-rise building built so we can also place better housing there. I think this is around 3.16 hectares,” the mayor said.

Treñas also said that this was timely with the Marcos administration’s goal of building 1 million houses per year, seeing an opportunity to seek help from the national government.

“Since the fire had already occurred, we will prioritize to have this included in the [DHSUD’s] program of 1 million housing units a year. In other areas, we will see if there will be a place for that. […] Now is really the time to fix this because if we don’t when they return, we will have the same problem,” he said.

The mayor also noted that part of the city’s ₱200-million loan will be used to acquire new lots for a housing project to be situated behind the city slaughterhouse at Brgy. Tacas in Jaro district.

Treñas said the fire victims can return to their homes at a later time, but the affected villages will now have wider roads which will allow better access to fire trucks and other vehicles.

Narrow and congested roads were blamed for the “delayed response” of firefighters to the fire scene.

“They can come back [there], but we have to discuss placing a road and other facilities there. That is why we are seeking to buy the land, but the problem there would be is that, if we just allow them to come back without the necessary [facilities] in place, there might be a fire again,” he said.

Treñas also mentioned commitments of assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through interventions by Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne Baronda and Senator Christopher Go.

He likewise reiterated that he had already given instructions to assist the City Social Welfare and Development Office and the City Health Office, among other relevant offices.