Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Friday gave away P3 million worth of construction materials to enable families in Baseco Compound and Quiapo who were hit by a tornado and a fire last Sunday to rebuild their houses.
Estrada donated 2,000 pieces of galvanized iron sheets, hundreds of board feet of lumber, nails and other supplies to residents of Aplaya area in Baseco, Oroquieta Street in Sta. Cruz, and Quiapo.
“The city government is always with the Manileños in their times of need,” the mayor said during his visit to Baseco.
Estrada told the residents, “I can never forsake you. Even after my term I will come here. You can depend on it.”
The mayor earlier directed the Office of the City Engineer to determine what assistance can be provided to the communities hit by a tornado and a subsequent fire last Sunday.
“We will first finance the repair of the roofs of their houses,” Estrada said.
He added he will send 100 city hall workers to help in the repair work.
According to the Office of the City Engineer, the homes of 22 families in Quiapo were damaged by the tornado, while in Baseco, 292 houses sustained varying degrees of damage, including around 50 shanties razed by a huge fire that took place just a few hours after the tornado struck.
“Right now, we are working on providing initial aid to victims through the provision of construction materials. Most of them lost their roofs,” City Engineer Rogelio Legazpi said.
It was not the first time Estrada has helped residents displaced by calamities. Last March, he donated P7.3 million worth of construction supplies to families who lost their homes in separate fires in barangays 775 and 770 in Sta. Ana.
When a big fire razed 130 houses in barangays 155 and 160 in Dagupan Extension, Tondo on January 1, Estrada also helped the victims reconstruct their homes.