Zambo City extends aid to Jolo fire victims

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The city government has extended PHP1 million in financial assistance to the July 25, 2018 fire victims in Jolo, Sulu.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar handed over the PHP1 million check on Friday to Jolo Mayor Kherkar Tan.

Salazar and the city department heads on Friday met with Tan and his staff at City Hall, where the turnover of the check was done.

At least eight people, including two children, were injured while some 30,000 residents were left homeless in a conflagration that gutted 3,000 houses in a densely populated area on July 25, 2018 in Jolo, the capital town of Sulu.

The fire broke out in one of the houses in Barangay Bus-Bus and spread towards Barangay Walled City, Jolo.

Salazar said the grant of the financial assistance to the Jolo fire victims was based on a resolution approved by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) and confirmed by the City Council, through a resolution.

She said the city government is extending financial aid to the Jolo fire victims, not only for humanitarian reasons, but because the municipality also assisted this city during the 2013 Zamboanga siege.

The siege that lasted for 21 days has displaced some 120,000 residents. (PNA)