Officials are sounding the alarm over a surge in fire hazards, urging barangay authorities to strictly enforce laws against illegal electrical tapping and open-air waste burning as the region braces for the impact of El Niño.
Urgent Appeal from Mandaue City Council
In Mandaue City, Councilor Eugene Andaya, chairman of the committee on disaster risk reduction and management, issued an urgent appeal for village disaster teams to review and enforce local ordinances to prevent avoidable tragedies during the hot season.
Primary Causes of House Fires
According to Andaya, sagging wires and unauthorized electrical connections, common in densely populated interior areas of many barangays, serve as primary causes of house fires.
“We already have an existing ordinance regarding that, specifically concerning the illegal tapping of wires. It leads to short circuits and overloads. That is ultimately what causes these fires,” Andaya said.
Heightened Risk During Dry Season
The councilor stressed that the risk is significantly heightened by the dry season. He warned that even burning trash can lead to disaster when surroundings are tinder-dry.
“It is the dry season and it is dangerous to burn waste because fire spreads very quickly when the grass and surroundings are extremely dry,” he explained.
Stricter Enforcement and Penalties
To curb these practices, Andaya is pushing for stricter enforcement of penalties. Under existing barangay ordinances, violators face fines starting at P1,000 for the first offense, which can escalate to P5,000.
The councilor noted that while illegal connections are widespread and difficult to monitor in narrow neighborhood corridors, the responsibility for safety lies at the grassroots level.
Call to Barangay Disaster Teams
He urged barangay disaster preparedness programs to be fully utilized to identify and address these hazards before they spark fires.
“I am specifically calling on the barangays because they are the implementing bodies; that is where most fires occur,” Andaya said.
“We are calling on them to monitor these cases individually to prevent further incidents.”
