BLAZE. The San Fernando City public wet market was razed to ashes on Jan. 11, 2024 after a nearly five-hour fire that broke at around 1:45 a.m. A total of 1,156 registered establishments were affected. (Photo courtesy of San Fernando LGU)
LAOAG CITY – Cash and regulatory aid will be extended to stall owners and workers of the fire-razed public wet market of San Fernando City, La Union, which burned to ashes after a nearly five-hour blaze that started around 1:46 a.m. Thursday.
In a press conference, Vice Mayor Pablo Ortega said local executives, after an emergency session, have approved a resolution requesting the Sangguniang Panglunsod (City Council) for the passage of a state of calamity declaration to help facilitate the release of calamity fund to augment relief operations.
Based on the initial report from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, over 1,500 individuals lost their livelihood and valuables from the blaze, which was declared out at around 6:52 a.m.
Economic loss is estimated at around PHP200 million while the cost of the damaged building is still being determined.
Aside from cash aid from the local government, Mayor Hermenegildo Gualberto, in a separate press conference, said officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will extend cash aid in line with the department’s assistance to individuals in crisis situation (AICS) program.
“The exact amount (of cash aid from the local government) will be determined later on so as not to pre-empt the DSWD while we are still assessing the situation,” Gualberto said.
Ortega, the SP presiding officer, said they will also pass a resolution extending the renewal of business permits as well as suspending the collection of cash tickets to vendors who have been relocated to the covered court of Barangay Ilocanos Sur and the roads surrounding the auxiliary wet market. (PNA)
