By CESAR JOLITO III

The Bacolod City government has provided immediate relief assistance to 65 families displaced by a series of fires that struck three barangays over consecutive days last week.

Through the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD), in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, relief goods were distributed to affected households now staying in designated evacuation centers.

The assistance was carried out following the directive of Mayor Greg Gasataya to ensure prompt support for families impacted by the fires in Barangay Singcang-Airport and Barangays 10 and 26.

Each family received food packs containing eight kilos of rice and canned goods, along with family kits composed of basic kitchenware.

The city also distributed clothing, sleeping kits — including mats, blankets, pillows, mosquito nets, and malongs — and hygiene kits with essential personal care items to help meet the immediate needs of displaced residents.

Gasataya has also ordered the DSSD to facilitate the release of financial assistance to families whose homes were totally or partially damaged by the fires.

The DSSD is currently overseeing camp management and coordinating with concerned agencies while validating claims for financial aid.

Barangay officials are likewise assisting by mobilizing local resources to support their affected constituents.

DSSD-Bacolod head Richelle Verdeprado-Mangga said the city remains focused not only on emergency response but also on helping families rebuild their lives.

“Beyond relief assistance, our priority is to help them recover with dignity, hope and the assurance that the city government is with them,” she said.

Records show that 34 families were displaced by a fire in Barangay 10’s Purok Tambi Palad on January 24.

This was followed by a fire in Barangay Singcang Airport’s Purok Batad on Sunday, January 25, that left 12 families homeless, and another blaze in Barangay 26’s Purok Masanag on Monday, January 26 that displaced 19 families./CJ, WDJ