City to buy transitory houses, firefighting, rescue equipment

• Source:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2016/07/16/city-buy-transitory-houses-firefighting-rescue-equipment-485792
• Saturday, July 16, 2016

By Flornisa M. Gitgano

THE Mandaue City Government has spent a big chunk of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CDRRM) Plan-budget to buy transitory houses and firefighting and rescue vehicle.

The City allotted P224.19 million for the projects that are included in the CDRRM Plan this year.

According to Resolution 3 of the City Development Council Executive Committee, the plan was prepared by the CDRRM Council.

Of the amount intended for the CDRRM Plan, the purchase of transitory houses got the biggest budget (P99 million).

CDRRM Officer Felix Suico said the transitory houses are intended for fire survivors in Barangays Mantuyong and Guizo who have been staying on the Cebu International Convention Center grounds.

Transfer

“They will move in to the transitory houses while site development is ongoing in the fire-hit area,” Suico said in Cebuano.

Suico said the collapsible transitory houses will be placed a few meters from the Mantuyong Creek.

City Engineer Andres Suson, in a separate interview, said the City is buying five transitory houses.

Each three-story transitory house will have 45 rooms.

The City started the site development last month, after the fire victims who rebuilt their houses heeded the City’s request to voluntarily demolish their structures.

The site development includes clearing, re-blocking, opening of proper roads and the construction of drainage systems.

Backfilling materials were placed in the fire site with the help of contractors like P.B. Obial Construction and Devlarn Ventures and Development Corp., which donated more than 300 trucks of limestone.

The Ayala Land Holdings Inc. had also pledged to donate 500 dump trucks of filling materials to the City, according to the City’s Public Information Office.

Other projects

The City has to backfill about two hectares of land in the fire site.

Suson said they have back-filled almost a hectare so far.

Meanwhile, Suico said the City allotted P55 million to buy a ladder firetruck.

Mandaue has two fire trucks.

The City Government also provided P29.24 million for the procurement of search and rescue equipment like ambulance with accessories, water tanker, hard hats, among others.

Aside from this, other projects in the DRRM Plan include the procurement of disaster-response equipment, communication equipment, water suction pump and financial assistance.

The plan also includes drainage improvement and installation, establishment of early warning systems, conduct of trainings, stockpiling of basic emergency supplies, climate-change adaptation activities and assistance to volunteers.