The City Council of Puerto Princesa approved the request of Brgy. Maunlad to have an additional parcel of land for the relocation of families who were affected by the fire incident November last year.

The Council immediately drafted a resolution authorizing City Mayor Edward Hagedorn to purchase another portion of land in Brgy. Irawan with an area of 1.8 has.

Some of the victims were already occupying the 2.3 has. allotted for them in the same barangay. Brgy. Maunlad Chairman Roy Ventura, however, appealed that the “allotted area was not enough for the fire victims and other informal settlers.”

According to Ventura, an additional area would be needed to accommodate the 141 families who were temporarily transferred to the basketball court of Maunlad after staying for almost two months at East Central School.

The targeted area is also in Sitio Iratag in Irawan, near the already occupied 2.3 has.

“We are appealing for the City Government to appropriate funds for another land purchase so that the remaining fire victims would be given their own land and place to live in,” Ventura mentioned.

Maunlad residents staying at the elementary school were requested to leave East after the school management complained that classes were already being affected by the evacuees. Other residents were also infected by chicken pox which caused the school to worry that their students might also get the same disease.

Hundreds of families in Brgy. Maunlad lost homes due to a fire incident Nov. 15 last year.