Recently there was a terrible fire in Mambaling, Cebu that burned down 100 houses. These houses were basically built on the water and went up in flames very quickly.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/625748/100-houses-burned-down-in-2-hour-fire-in-mambaling-cebu-city |
Close to 500 individuals lost their homes in a huge fire in Brgy. Mambaling, Cebu City during the second day of Fire Prevention Month on Sunday, March 2.
The fire, that hit a densely populated community in Sitio Naba, Brgy. Mambaling, lasted for approximately two hours and burned down P1.5 million worth of properties, fire officials said.
Cebu City firefighters received the fire alarm at 1:20 a.m., and immediately raised it to 2nd alarm as the flames spread quickly to nearby houses, most of which were made from light materials.
However, at 2:05 a.m., roughly 40 minutes after arriving at the scene, firefighters raised it to 3rd alarm as the fire had already affected a total area of 2,700 square meters.
Second and third alarms meant that at least eight and 12 firetrucks, respectively, were needed to put out the fire.
Fortunately, firefighters had the flames under control at 2:29 a.m. and around 30 minutes later, at 3:05 a.m., they officially declared a fireout.
Fire officials confirmed that the fire injured a 32-year-old man, identified as Lando Snani, who sustained first-degree burns on his left shoulder.
Initial findings from fire investigators revealed that the flames originated from a house owned by a certain Jorani Daomani.
The cause of the fire, however, has yet to be determined as of this report.
In the meantime, the latest count showed that a total of 105 houses were affected by Sunday’s fire, of which 100 were completely burned down.
The fire also displaced at least 480 individuals, most of whom are currently staying in nearby barangay gyms and schools.
It turns out these shanties were constructed in a no build zone. Residents will not be allowed to return.
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| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/fire-hit-area-in-mambaling-declared-no-build-zone |
THE more than 170 families who were victims of fire that struck Sitio Nava in Barangay Mambaling can no longer return to their homes after the Cebu City Government declared the area as a “no build zone.”
Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said this was the recommendation of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
“They cannot go back because it’s dangerous. That is already dagat naman gud na (the sea over there,” he said in a press conference on Monday, March 3, 2025.
Garcia said the affected residents, which are composed of Badjao communities, are temporarily staying in the Viking Gym in Mambaling.
The mayor hopes the City can provide a relocation site for them within this month.
“But in the meantime, we will no longer allow them to return. That’s a no build zone and a danger zone, it being by the shore,” he added.
Garcia said that once a relocation site is finalized, all those who built their houses on the shore would be moved, including those that were almost affected by the blaze that destroyed 176 houses and damaged one other past 1 a.m. on Sunday, March 2.
Now, how is it these houses were allowed to be constructed and residents were allowed to live there for however many years despite this are being a no build zone? Did nobody notice? Is there so much red tape in evicting people from no build zones that the hands of Cebu were tied so they could do nothing?
It turns out that these houses did not go unnoticed. Another reason residents are not being allowed to return is because the city is building a road through the area.
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| https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-news/2025/03/03/2425521/councilor-guardo-wont-recommend-rebuilding |
Families who lost their homes in a dawn fire in Sitio Badjaowan-Naba, Alaska Mambaling yesterday, March 2, 2025, may not be allowed to rebuild their homes in the same location as the area will soon be cleared to make way for the Mambaling Bypass Road.
Cebu City infrastructure overseer, City Councilor Jerry Guardo said this will be his recommendation, although he clarified that clearing the location has already been the plan for quite some time.
“Kana siya diha, maigo gyud na siya sa clearing operations sa DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways),” Guardo said in an interview with The Freeman.
Guardo said that even before the fire happened, residents were already informed about the impending clearing operation and had expressed willingness to cooperate.
“Anha man gyud na mag-agi. They are within the three-meter easement. Naa gyud na sila along the area,” he added.
Aside from the area affected by the fire early dawn yesterday, Guardo clarified that the entire Sitio and additional areas are also due for clearing.
“Ma-clear gyud na sila entirely,” he said. The target date for clearing is within this year or in two years time.
Guardo said the project is ongoing, albeit in phases.
It started in Duljo-Fatima and is currently in the process of constructing a bridge that will connect Duljo-Fatima to Mambaling.
So the LGU did know of these residences. They did know it was a no build zone. But they took their sweet time in evicting these people. How is that possible when recent houses which were built on top of a floating trash pile in Mambaling were demolished immediately?
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| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/26-makeshift-homes-demolished-in-mambaling |
A TOTAL of 26 makeshift homes built along the river in Sitio Naba, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City, have been completely demolished.
This was confirmed during a meeting called by Cebu City Councilor Jerry Guardo, head of the City’s Technical Infrastructure Committee, according to the Facebook post of the Cebu City Public Information Office, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.
The meeting was attended by barangay officials from Mambaling and representatives from concerned offices at Cebu City Hall.
According to reports presented during the meeting, the Badjao community voluntarily dismantled their makeshift homes in exchange for the P20,000 financial aid they received last week.
“The accumulation of trash beneath the makeshift homes caused frequent flooding in this part of Mambaling whenever heavy rains occurred,” reads a portion of the PIO’s Facebook post.
The information office added that with the removal of the makeshift homes, the area can now be fully cleared, addressing the persistent flooding problem.
After the meeting, the group, led by Guardo, conducted an on-site inspection to determine the access points for the equipment needed to remove the trash and deepen the river.
It was agreed that these activities will take place next week under the supervision of the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works.
So, the city was concerned about these people building on a floating trash pile which caused flooding but seemingly not as concerned about the other people who had built houses in a no build zone.
Now, we have seen this many times before. People are allowed to build in danger zones and the LGUs do nothing. Remember the landslide in Davao which happened in February 2024? After heavy rains 92 people died because their houses were in no build zone. The LGU knew it was a no build zone since 2008. It was a tragedy which should never have happened. Yet the Philippines is so corrupt and inept that of course it did. You can read about it here.
All this to ask: Why do LGUs allow residents to build in dangerous no build zones? The easy answer is corruption but there must be more to it than that. We can except more incidents, they are not tragedies because they are easily preventable, like the Davao landslide and the Mambaling fire to happen in the future.
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