Four people, three of them minors, died in a fire that struck a public market in Tondo, Manila late Sunday night, police said.
The incident prompted Mayor Joseph Estrada to pursue his plan to rehabilitate and renovate old public markets, which are also unsanitary to consumers in the city.
“All of these old public markets are virtual fire traps. It would be devastating if there would be more lives to be lost if we don’t act now and modernize our markets,” said Estrada, adding that no stall owners and vendors will be displaced by the project.
Estrada tapped Dr. Arnold Pangan, head of the Manila Department of Social Welfare, to provide relief assistance to the displaced families, especially to those who perished in the blaze at the New Oriental Market along Carmen Planas Street.
In a report submitted to Manila City Hall, police said the fire started around 11 p.m. and quickly spread to an adjacent commercial-residential building.
Investigation showed that Evelyn Veloso, who had rented a stall in the market, and her three children aged 4, 5, and 7, were trapped in their burning room atop the market.
“As of now, we’ve been distributing relief goods to those who lost their homes. Mayor Estrada wants to ensure that they are properly taken care of,” Pangan said.
The Department of Public Works and Highways classified that residential-commercial building as “condemned.”
Estrada said the latest fire incident pushed him to pursue his plan to rehabilitate the city’s public markets through a joint venture agreement with private developers.
Under City Ordinance No. 8346 or the Manila Joint Venture Ordinance, several of the city’s 17 public markets will be demolished to pave the way for their rehabilitation through a public-private sector partnership.
Among the public markets planned to be rehabilitated are those located in Quinta, Sta. Ana, Sampaloc, San Andres, Trabajo, Pritil, Dagonoy and Paco.
Two weeks ago, Estrada directed the Manila Fire Department to coordinate with barangay officials in undertaking prevention and safety measures during this fire season.
Records showed that 470 fire incidents were recorded in Manila from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 in 2015. Of the number, 51 happened in March.