May 24, 2023
Tzu Chi holds relief operations for Oroquieta Street fire victims
By Joy Rojas
A week after an early morning fire razed 400 homes and establishments on Oroquieta Street, Barangay 310, Sta. Cruz, Manila, the site remained a picture of misery and squalor as displaced families made temporary shelter out of a covered court, the streets, a nearby bus terminal, and spaces under the Light Railway Transit.
Two perished, six were injured, and over a thousand families were displaced by the disaster whose damages were estimated at P1.5 million.
Victims of this latest blaze in the area, caused by a candle left unattended by drug users in a five-story building, quickly purchased hollow blocks and cement with the P10,000 cash aid they received from local government. Yet as they begun the slow and grueling process of constructing new homes over rubble, it was clear that they could use more help and hope in rebuilding their lives.
A total of 72 volunteers responded to their needs in a relief distribution organized by Tzu Chi on the morning of May 21. Facilitated by local community leaders headed by Chairman Roland Gacula, the distribution provided each of the 1,201 families with a sack of 10kg rice, blanket, sleeping mat, shampoo and body wash, condiments, casserole, plastic plates, glasses, and utensils.
“The Tzu Chi Foundation really loves Barangay 310,” says Chairman Gacula. “Thank you for your help.” In 2009, Tzu Chi responded to Oroquieta residents’ call for aid when a fire, also due to an unattended candle, left thousands homeless.
“This type of relief response is not new to Tzu Chi Foundation,” says Jerom Bacarra, a registered social worker and volunteer-in-training with Tzu Chi’s Charity Department. “We’re there to help wherever calamity strikes.”
“I hope Tzu Chi comes,” prayed Sandy Sebunga, an Oroquieta Street resident since 1989 and one of thousands looking to get his life back on track following the May 15 blaze.
A former driver-operator, Sandy lost both his legs when he was hit by a garbage truck in 1996. Since then, the double amputee gets around on a makeshift wooden board with wheels. Concerned neighbors are usually there to assist him, but when the recent fire broke, the 53-year-old was on his own.
“I was asleep when the fire started. Nobody helped me,” he says, his voice breaking from the memory. “It was every man for himself. I had to save myself.”
Like other displaced fire victims, Sandy slept on the streets. Exposed to intermittent rains and the oppressive heat and humidity, he followed a neighbor’s suggestion to go back to his burned home. There, they used tarpaulin to set up a shade and mat for him to sleep on.
In his haste to save himself from the fire, he left all his personal possessions behind. Not that he had much to begin with. He earns little as a massage therapist and receives occasional handouts from his kids.
“What will happen to you?” his worried neighbors asked. “Don’t worry, I’ll get by,” said Sandy.
News of Tzu Chi’s relief distribution lifted his spirits. “Tzu Chi never forgets us when it comes to disasters,” he says. “We’re happy to receive relief from Tzu Chi. It’s a big help for us. I’m thankful to Tzu Chi for the blessings that you bring. Thank you for everything.”
“Of all those who donate to us, we really look forward to Tzu Chi because they are the most generous when it comes to giving us what we need,” avers Lulu Osit. “They are really a big help to each and every family.”
Herself a beneficiary of Tzu Chi’s assistance in the 2009 fire, she saved a blanket given during relief operations. “I left that blanket with my cousin, and every time we sleep there, I remember what Tzu Chi did for us whenever I see the blanket,” she says.
The 68-year-old mother of five had just gone home after a day of minding her convenience store. “I hadn’t even sat down when one of my children grabbed me after seeing huge flames,” she says.
Though the Osits were able to save their dogs, everything else—the store, their government IDs and documents, the gadgets her children use for work and school—is gone, reduced to ashes.
“I cry for the ones who work online and who may lose their job because they haven’t been able to report for work. How can they when we don’t have laptops and internet?” she bemoans. “Another child has an exam in the coming week but has no shoes and uniform. We don’t know what to do.”
Tzu Chi’s presence and help offer Lulu much comfort as she and her family gradually get back on their feet.
“To the heads of Tzu Chi Foundation, a big thank you,” she says. “We always look forward to your arrival because we know that you can help us with our daily needs.”
A drone shot of the fire scene shows that residents have used tarpaulin as temporary roofing for their burned homes.【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
Oroquieta resident Sandy Sebunga (right) chats with Tzu Chi Charity Department Head Tina Pasion about seeking medical assistance. Sandy became a double amputee when he was hit by a garbage truck in 1996. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Volunteers prepare the floor mats to be distributed to fire victims. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Volunteers at the registration table take a moment to pray for the blessings of survival and relief following a May 15 blaze. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Oroquieta residents pray before the start of relief distribution. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Despite losing everything from the fire, an Oroquieta resident donates to a coin can that will benefit calamity victims like himself. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
A volunteer hands out a stub to a beneficiary for her to claim relief. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Volunteers place relief goods inside the eco bag of Sandy Sebunga. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
After praying for Tzu Chi to help him and neighbors from their loss following a May 15 fire, Sandy Sebunga is nothing but grateful. “Tzu Chi never forgets us when it comes to disasters,” he says. “We’re happy to receive relief from Tzu Chi. Thank you for everything.” 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
A volunteer receives a fire beneficiary’s stub so he can claim aid. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
A fire beneficiary hands over requirements to a volunteer. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Fire victim beneficiaries wait for their turn as volunteers verify their names on a list.【Photo by Matt Serrano】
A fire beneficiary receives plates and utensils from a volunteer. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Fire beneficiaries follow an orderly line to receive their relief. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Volunteers hold up signs with the first letter of beneficiaries’ surnames, making the process of claiming goods fast and smooth. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Oroquieta resident Lulu Osit (in gray) receives aid from a volunteer. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
A volunteer puts a set of plates in fire beneficiary Lulu Osit’s eco bag. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
With neighbor Delia Lazarra (left), Lulu Osit signs “thank you” to Tzu Chi for its relief operations. Behind them is Lulu’s store, which burned down, save for its façade. Since the fire, she has used the store front to restart her small business. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
A volunteer places a floor mat in a beneficiary’s eco bag. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Fire beneficiaries open their eco bags to receive goods provided by Tzu Chi volunteers. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
A volunteer gives beneficiaries a brief history of Tzu Chi Foundation. 【Photo by Matt Serrano】
Tzu Chi volunteers enter the crowded and bustling Oroquieta Street to set up relief distribution operation for fire victims. 【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
Volunteers prepare lists and Tzu Chi flyers to distribute to beneficiaries. 【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
A volunteer sets up plates for distribution. 【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
A beneficiary is all smiles as she receives a floor mat from a volunteer. 【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
A volunteer helps a beneficiary take home a sack of 10kg rice and a bag of daily essentials. 【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
A boy lies on a pile of donated clothes inside the Ina ng Laging Saklolo (Mother of Perpetual Help), a neighborhood chapel that was not spared by the fire. 【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
One of the few homes left standing after a May 15 fire that razed 400 homes and establishments in Oroquieta Street 【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
A man salvages what he can of a metal bar to rebuild a new home. 【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
Residents have begun the process of rebuilding homes after purchasing cement and hollow blocks from the P10,000 cash aid given by local government. 【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
“In Manila, there are a lot of fires,” says Tzu Chi Charity Department volunteer Jerom Bacarra. “We hope this type of disaster ends because so many people are affected, especially the students whose things for school are lost in the fire.”【Photo by Daniel Lazar】
“The Tzu Chi Foundation really loves Barangay 310,” says Barangay Chairman Roland Gacula. “Thank you for your help.”【Photo by Daniel Lazar】