Mayor Francis Amboy of Maasin, Iloilo assured that the local government unit (LGU) will provide comprehensive aid to the family of three children, who perished in a fire in Brgy. Dalusan on the night of June 3.
Meanwhile, two other siblings who survived the fire are still being treated at Western Visayas Medical Center.
Amboy stated that he has directed his medical officer to assess the condition of the two minors, who sustained serious burns. The LGU will cover hospital bills and funeral expenses for the three deceased children.
The municipal mayor revealed that the family is included in the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Listahanan program for Western Visayas, but is not enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
According to the report, the three victims were minors, the youngest being only one year and four months old. Among the deceased was a child with polio.
Two other siblings—a 12-year-old with polio and an 8-year-old girl—survived but sustained severe burns on 27 percent and 21 percent of their bodies, respectively.
Fire Officer 2 Remegio Peloquero, Jr. of the Maasin Fire Station reported that the five siblings were asleep when the fire started, which rapidly consumed their home and trapped them inside.
Mechelle Dicer, the mother of the children, confessed that she had left a lit homemade mosquito repellent under the stairs, which likely ignited nearby coconut leaves and caused the fire to spread quickly.
She and her husband Arnel were attending a wake at the time of the incident. “We were only informed of the fire when a relative came to tell us,” Mechelle recalled, overwhelmed with grief. “I never imagined the lamp would cause such a disaster.”
Mechelle admitted that her husband had advised her to stay home with their children, but she insisted on attending the wake, believing that their 8-year-old daughter could look after her younger siblings.
Upon returning home, they found their 12-year-old and 8-year-old children outside with severe burns. Mechelle recounted the harrowing moment she saw her one-year-old daughter still breathing amidst the flames. Despite rushing her to the hospital, the child could not be saved.
Meanwhile, Joylyn Marcon, 48, realized too late that her grandchildren had been left alone in the house, unaware of the tragedy that would unfold in her absence.