If all else fails, the over 30 families displaced by the fire which broke out at a residential village in Tagbilaran City will be relocated by the city local government unit (LGU).

According to Tagbilaran City Mayor John Geesnell Yap, the city government will make a last-ditch effort to talk with the burned lot’s owner who has decided to stop renting out the land to the fire victims.

“Una na plano nato, estoryahon ang tag-iya. Kung di na man gani, ana na ta mo move forward og asa ta padung,” said Yap.

It was previously reported that the lot’s owner, identified as Leni Madriñan, announced that she will no longer rent out the piece of land in Barangay Booy which was home to around 120 individuals.

Residents admitted that Madriñan had told them to prepare for relocation over a year before the fire erupted and razed their homes on February 20.

According to Yap, the relocation site will be located within Tagbilaran City, but planning and negotiations remained ongoing in carrying out the initiative.

“Definitely around the city ra ang [relocation site]. Sa pagkakaroon naa ny mga gipang-identify na [location] pero wala py final,” he added.

For his part, Tagbilaran City Administrator Edi Borja said that a meeting will still be held to decide whether the LGU will purchase a land or use a city-owned lot for the relocation site.

After the fire, the displaced families remained under the care of the LGU at an evacuation center in Barangay Dampas. Each family has been given P5,000.

However, the victims continued to ask for financial assistance from the public as most of them have still not gone back to work.

Students meanwhile have been allocated a shuttle service to take them to school and fetch them to ensure that their studies remained unaffected as their families reeled from the tragedy. (A. Doydora)