| By MONTESA GRINO-CAOYONAN |

The City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) is now cleansing the list of all the fire victims after there were reports that some listed names are not real fire victims.

As of yesterday afternoon, the CSWD has recorded 369 affected families with 1, 845 persons and 309 burned houses in contrast with the reports that say there are 566 families affected with 3, 305 persons and 419 houses burned.

Lucy Sinay, Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Iloilo City Government, said she can’t give a definite answer on the main reason why other people who are not victims are included on the list and while other victims’ names were entered twice.

“Maybe some names were overlooked,” she said.

All fire victims came from three villages of Tanza Esperanza, Tanza Timawa II and Malipayon Delgado, all of this city.

Currently, victims are evacuated in six evacuating centers at Rizal Elementary School, Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School, A. Bonifacio Elementary School, Malipayon Day Care Center, Tanza Timawa II Day Care Center and Tanza Timawa II Brgy. Hall.

FEAR

Many “homeless” fire victims are considered informal settlers thus, they are afraid that lot owners may not allow them to return to rebuild their homes in the sites that were hit by the fire that broke out Sunday afternoon.

Eufemia Amaracu, whose house was located at the boundary of Tanza Malipayon and Esperanza admitted that they were just squatting at the area. She said they are not sure if they are still allowed to reconstruct their house in the area.

Tanza Esperanza’s village chief Noel Odicta, whose house was also among those burned, said majority of the illegal settlers are squatting in the lot owned by Felimon Rubin but the lot was already donated to the barangay for foot-walk purposes.

Task Force on Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structures (TF ASIS) chairman Engr. Roberto Dumanil admitted that some fire victims are illegally squatting in the lots owned by the government but majority of the lots are owned by the private individuals.

He said the affected areas are not subject of any demolition by their team.*