Fire hits Davao Sur market

The aftermath of the fire that gutted the Bansalan market in Davao del Sur province on Sunday, December 27, 2009. (Mindanao Examiner / Geo Solmerano)

DAVAO DEL SUR, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 29, 2009) – A fire swept gutted a market building in the southern Philippine province of Davao del Sur, police said.

It said the fire probably started in an area in Bansalan market where pyrotechnics were being sold, but an investigation into the cause of the blaze is going on.

The fire occurred over the weekend, but police said there were no reports of casualties.

Police warned firecracker sellers to conform to fire safety. (Geo Solmerano)

The aftermath of the fire Saturday, December 5, 2009 in Cotabato City in Mindanao. (Photo by Ed Dequina)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 5, 2009) – A fire swept through a neighborhood in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato on Saturday and burned at least 100 houses, officials said.

Officials said there were no reports of casualties, but some residents were hurt when panic-stricken villagers rushed to save their belongings. Others tried, but failed to put out the huge fire that hit Poblacion 4.

The fire began was 11 in the morning and was put under control two hours later.
Fire officials said they were investigating the conflagration. (With a report from Ed Dequina)

Fire razed 4 houses in Sultan Kudarat Province

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 11, 2009) – A fire razed at least four houses Monday in the southern Philippine province of Sultan Kudarat, police said.

Police said the fire began at around 9 a.m. in the village of Pumulok in Colombio town, but there were no reports of casualties.

It was unknown whether the blaze was deliberate or not. Police said the Bureau of Fire Protection is investigating the fire and if there was arson. (Giovani Solmerano)

150 houses gutted in Iligan City fire

At least 150 houses were burned Friday, April 10, 2009 in a fire that swept a neighborhood in Iligan City in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Merlyn Manos)

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 10, 2009) – A huge fire gutted over 159 houses on Friday in Iligan city in the southern Philippines, but there were no reports of casualties, officials said.

Officials said the fire began at around 12.15 p.m. and was put under control three hours later.

At least 180 families were left without homes and many of them are staying on temporary shelters.

The Bureau of Fire is still investigating the cause of the blaze. (Merlyn Manos)

Two Firefighters hurt in Cotabato Blaze

Smoke billows from Cotabato City in a fire that razed dozens of houses and injured two firefighters on Wednesday, April 8, 2009. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Geo Solmerano)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 08, 2009) – Two fire fighters were injured Wednesday as they battled a blaze that razed dozens of houses in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato, officials said.

The local fire marshal Adam Ali Guiamad said the fire started shortly before 12.30 p.m. along Dona Theresa St. and the blaze was put under control half an hour later. Most of the houses burned, he said, were made wood.

Firefighters from Sultan Kudarat and Parang towns, including volunteers from the Cotabato fire brigade also helped in putting out the fire, Guiamad said. “We thanked all those who helped us,” he said.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated. There were no reports of civilian casualties. (Geo Solmerano)

Fire Eats Up Southern RP Offices

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 9, 2008) – A huge fire destroyed Monday two offices at the compound of the Southern Philippines Development Administration (SPDA) here, fire marshals said.

The fire broke out at dawn and quickly spread inside the compound, they said, adding, all important documents were burned. There were no reports of injuries and firefighters put out the blaze after battling it for hours.

Fire marshals said the cause of the fire was not immediately known, but they suspect that faulty electrical wiring could be the culprit. (Romy Bwaga)

Fire Gutted 80 Houses In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 25, 2008) –A fire razed some 80 houses at a coastal village in the southern port city of Zamboanga in the southern Philippines, police said Sunday.

Police said the fire struck in Arena Blanco on Saturday and although no one was reported killed in the blaze, many victims were hurt in the commotion. Many of the houses that burned were made from dried grass and wood and bamboo.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but arson investigators have interviewed several people in the village. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Fire Dril In Manila

A fire fighter tries his skills in extinguishing the flames during a drill on Saturday, March 08, 2008 in Manila. (Photo by Rey Baniquet/Mindanao Examiner)

South RP Fire Leaves 7,000 People Homeless

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 04, 2007) – Two people had died and thousands were left homeless after a fire swept through several neighborhoods in an island-town off Sulu province in southern Philippines, officials said on Sunday.

Officials said dozens were hurt in the fire that left more than 7,000 people homeless late Saturday afternoon in South Laud village in Siasi town.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated. But police said many of the houses in the village were made of lumber and strong winds helped fan the fire.

“More than 7,000 people were without homes. (Sulu) Governor, Sakur Tan has ordered a massive relief operation on the island to help the victims. We are doing our best to immediately help as many people as we can,” Khalil Hajibin, a member of the Sulu Provincial Council, who led the relief operation, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Sulu police chief, Superintendent Ahiron Ajirim, said they are still investigating the cause of the fire. “We are awaiting reports and so far at least two people – a couple – died from the fire,” he said in a separate interview.

He said the island had no fire engines and that soldiers and policemen helped villagers fight the blaze. Five policemen, he said, also lost their houses from the fire.

Other reports said the fire started from a store selling fuel, but it was unclear how it began.

It was the second fire in two months in Sulu province. Thousands were also left without homes after a fire broke out in the village of Asturias in Jolo town in September. (Mindanao Examiner)

Fire Hits Slum In South RP

Fire fighters battle flames Thursday Nov. 01, 2007 in Cotabato City in southern Philippines.

(Mark Navales/Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 01, 2007) – A fire broke out Thursday at a slum area in Cotabato City in southern Philippines, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or injuries, officials said.

The fire left hundreds of people homeless. Arson investigators said the fire swept through the neighborhood which was once a cemetery.

It was unknown if the fire was deliberate or accidental. (Mark Navales)

9 Injured In Sulu Fire

Sulu Gov. Salur Tan inspects Tuesday Sept. 25, 2007 the aftermath of the fire in Jolo town. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 25 Sept) – At least 9 people were injured and thousands left homeless after a fire swept through a neighborhood in the southern Philippine province of Sulu.

”Nine people are with minor injuries and now at the hospital,” Gov. Sakur Tan said during a provincial peace and order council meeting on Tuesday in Jolo town.

The governor ordered a relief operation to help feed the fire victims and has offered refugees the use of the province’s sports complex as temporary shelters.

The fire broke out late Monday in the village of Asturias and more than 500 houses were burned, said village chieftain Kerkarl Tan. “There could be more victims and we need help now, like foods and blankets and tents for the refugees,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

The governor said they would provide the refugees with tents and food aid and also sent a team of social workers and doctors to take care of the women and children. He said policemen were also sent to the village of Asturias to prevent other people from building structures or occupying lands they do not owned.

“We have to protect the victims here until such time they will be able to rebuild their homes,” he said.

There were reports of casualties, but many victims had blamed the fire department for the conflagration. They said fire engines had no water and residents doused their houses with dirty water taken from canals and creeks.

“Now, we don’t know where to stay for the night. Our house is burned and we have nothing left,” said Ibrahim Abubakre, a fisherman.

Authorities were investigating the cause of the conflagration, but one woman said the fire started from a wooden house where an oil lamp fell to the floor. “That’s where it all started,” she said.

The fire ate up at least two blocks in downtown Jolo, said a man, Nasser Unting.

“My conservative estimate is that more than 500 houses are burned and thousands are without homes and that’s for sure,” he said, pointing to the direction where houses were burning.

“You look at the sky, it’s red, and that’s fire below. You can hear people screaming and crying and cursing and you can’t blame them,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Fire Leaves Thousands Homeless In Southern RP

The fire in Sulu's Jolo town that left thousands of people without homes Monday Sept. 24, 2007. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 24 Sept) – Thousands of people were left homeless after a fire late Monday swept through a neighborhood in the southern Philippine province of Sulu.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or casualties and victims had blamed the fire department for the conflagration. They said the fire engines had no water and residents doused their houses with dirty water taken from canals and creeks.

“Now, we don’t know where to stay for the night. Our house is burned and we have nothing left,” said Ibrahim Abubakre, a fisherman.

Authorities were investigating the cause of the conflagration, but one woman said the fire started from a wooden house where an oil lamp fell to the floor. “That’s where it all started,” she said.

The fire ate up at least two blocks in downtown Jolo, said a man, Nasser Unting.

“My conservative estimate is that more than 500 houses are burned and thousands are without homes and that’s for sure,” he said, pointing to the direction where houses were burning.

“You look at the sky, it’s red, and that’s fire below. You can hear people screaming and crying and cursing and you can’t blame them,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Filipino Artists Gather For DC Concert To Promote Human Rights In Philippines: Report

Washington, DC - Responding to the Philippine Congress's implementation of the Human Security Act (HSA) in July, Filipino groups along the east coast will be converging for a concert in Washington DC on Friday, September 28, one week after the 35th anniversary of Martial Law as declared by former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in 1972.

The concert, organized by the Filipino-American alliance BAYAN USA and featuring Filipino-American hip-hop sensations Blue Scholars and Kiwi Illefonte, aims to bring awareness to the repercussions of the newly-passed and controversial bill, and connect with the overall issue of increased US military spending to places where US troops are present, such as the Philippines.

The concert will also be featured as part of a one-week encampment organized by the Troops Out Now Anti-War coalition, that will culminate in a march to Capitol Hill on Saturday, September 29th. A similar encampment will also be held in Los Angeles on the same dates.

"The HSA is a disaster for domestic security in the Philippines. It will cause the endangerment and the termination of innocent lives," states Valerie Francisco of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment, or FIRE, a community organizer who recently returned from the Philippines to protest the HSA.

FIRE, along the Anakbayan, the Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, under the banner of BAYAN USA, and local DC groups such as Katarungan will be sponsoring the mini-concert set outdoors and following next-day anti-war march near Capitol Hill.

The Fil-Am groups have also warned that US-based advocates and supporters of the broad Arroyo opposition under the HSA are also subject to the measures of the state with such a vague definition of terrorism.

This comes in light of reports on extra-judicial killings, increase in forced disappearances throughout the country, and a watch-list of names provided by the Bureau of Immigration and Department of Justice jeopardizing travelers from abroad that speak out against Arroyo's domestic policies.

"These days, to oppose the Arroyo regime is the most genuine act of security. To highlight this issue during the Martial Law anniversary is fitting and appropriate, because the Philippines is still under undeclared Martial Law," states Jonna Baldres of Anakbayan.

The groups have also been calling for restrictions on US military aid to the Philippines, in line with its human rights work. September also marks continued Congressional deliberations on US military spending for 2008.

Nearly 50 US solons have signed a petition letter calling for Arroyo to handle the human rights crisis in the Philippines.

In response to a recent US Senate hearing and Congressional deliberations on the fate of US military aid to the Philippine government this past year, the Arroyo regime has resorted to deflecting possible aid reduction by pushing for an all-out war in Mindanao, the southern-most island, claiming Al-Qaeda cells exist, much to wide public disagreement.

Following the public reports of UN Rapporteur Philip Alston, and Amnesty International, the Philippine military has been identified as the key perpetrating group of extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances. In 2001, President George Bush declared the Philippines the Second Front to the War on Terror.

Since then, the Philippines has remained the fourth largest recipient of US military aid in the world and the largest in the Asia-Pacific region.

Granny Dies In Fire In South RP

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Jun) – A 68-year old woman died in a fire that gutted her house in the southern Filipino town of Generoso, police said on Tuesday.

Police suspected arson as the cause of the fire and is investigating reports that a man was seen fleeing from the house shortly after it was engulfed by flames on Monday.

The woman, Justina Iran, was not able to escape from the burning house, police said.

Last week, four children and their grandmother also died in fire after being trapped inside their house in Bukidnon province. Arson investigators blamed faulty electrical wiring connection as the cause of the fire. (Romy Bwaga)

Grand Ma, 4 Kids Perish In Fire In Southern RP

BUKIDNON (Mindanao Examiner / 04 Jun) – A grandmother and four of her nieces died in a fire after being trapped inside their house in the southern Philippine province of Bukidnon, police said Monday.

Police said the five were not able to get of their burning room in the village of Agusan, in Manolo Fortich town at the weekend.

Arson investigators blamed faulty electrical wiring connection as the cause of the fire.

Police said neighbors tried, but failed to rescue the victims because of the fire had engulfed the whole house.

The children were aged between 5 and 10 and their parents were out of the house when the fire broke out before midnight. (Romy Bwaga)

2,000 People Homeless In Davao Fire

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 28 May) – A huge fire swept through a slum neighborhood in the southern Filipino city of Davao, police and fire marshals said.

The fire late Sunday gutted more than 150 houses and left some 2,000 people homeless, police said.

There were no reports of casualties, but authorities said many people were hurt when they panicked and tried to flee from the burning neighborhood.

Arson investigators blamed an oil lamp for the conflagration. Many of those displaced by the fire are now housed in temporary shelters.

Fire marshals estimate the damage in the fire at more than eight million pesos. (Romy Bwaga)

Photo: Scavengers Feast On Aftermath Of Zambo Fire

Dozens of scavengers dig for scraps Saturday, 14 Apr 2007, on what is left of a commercial building burned in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)