Families that lost their livelihood because of the fire that hit the Brooke’s Point public market late Thursday night will receive financial assistance from the municipal government, mayor Mary Jean Feliciano said.
Mayor Feliciano assured the owners of stalls in the public market’s dry goods section that they will receive P30,000 each as financial help from the municipal government.
Vegetable vendors who lost their businesses will get P20,000 each, on the other hand, aside from the one year amnesty they will get from the municipal government when they start again.
She said this in a meeting with the victims of the fire at the town’s convention center on Friday afternoon.
Feliciano said the municipal government’s financial assistance is not much compared to what the victims had lost in the fire, but she hopes the amount can help them.
“Nakakalungkot, subalit walang may gusto ng pangyayari. Alam kong hindi sapat ang mga tulong na ito upang tapatan ang mga nawalang puhunan sa mga nabiktima ng sunog, subalit sana ay makatulong ito para makapagsimula kayong muli at makabangon,” she said.
The municipal council of Brooke’s Point also had a special session before the meeting to approve the financial assistance for the victims.
Meanwhile, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) municipal office chief Samuel Mostiero, said they have estimated that the fire destroyed around P5 million worth of properties and goods in the public market.
“Sa tantiya namin ay umabot ng P5 milyon ang napinsala ng sunog,” said Mostiero.
On Thursday evening, fire struck the public market and destroyed at least a fourth of its total building area. It started around 11 p.m. and was declared “fire out” around 2 a.m. Friday morning.
Mostiero said they are continuously monitoring the public market due to fears by residents and vendors that a fire might strike again since smokes are still coming from the debris.
He also said they are still conducting a thorough investigation regarding the cause of the fire.
