Marcos aids Parola fire victims

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May 26, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday distributed relief and cash assistance to over 2,000 families displaced by a fire at the Parola Compound in Binondo, Manila.

Marcos was accompanied by Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian during the relief distribution at the Delpan sports complex.

Gatchalian said each family received P10,000 under the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations or AICS program.

Around 2,134 families were left homeless in the fire, which was extinguished after 10 hours of firefighting.

Marcos said the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development would also provide each family P30,000 to help them rebuild their homes.

The Department of Health (DOH) also distributed P230,000 worth of medicines and hygiene kits to help fire victims maintain good health while they are staying at the Delpan evacuation center.

“They are at risk of getting sick due to overcrowding and limited access to sanitation facilities,” the DOH said.

Moreno vowed continued assistance for the fire victims.

Urban poor group Kadamay urged authorities to probe the cause of the fire, citing what it described as “a pattern of fires in communities allegedly linked to displacement for development projects.”

Pumping station

After visiting the fire victims, Marcos inspected the newly rehabilitated Sunog Apog pumping station in Tondo as part of efforts to strengthen flood-mitigation infrastructure across Metro Manila.

The P774-million facility has been non-operational since its construction in 2020, Marcos said.

“It has never worked at all for six years,” the President said.

Marcos said rehabilitation efforts include the replacement of electrical equipment, declogging and desilting operations in nearby waterways and inside the facility to reduce garbage buildup that caused repeated pump failures.

The Sunog Apog facility was among the longest non-operational pumping stations in Metro Manila, contributing to prolonged flooding in surrounding communities.

“We’ve been working on this since November. Now it’s working,” Marcos said.

The Sunog Apog pumping station was among the flood control projects in Manila investigated by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure last year, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said.

Dizon said the facility has three heavy duty electromechanical pumps working. The fourth pump will be activated by June to test its full capacity. — Rhodina Villanueva, Andrew Ronquillo