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Ororama fire damages placed at P20 Million, team to determine cause of fire created

October 29, 2008

By Lizanilla J. Amarga

After grueling 25 hours, the local fire protection bureau acting head Richard Baang finally declared at around 1:00 a.m. yesterday that the fire consuming the insides of the Ororama MegaCenter to be finally doused off and that the estimated damage brought by the conflagration was placed around P20 million.He said he immediately created a “composite team” to scour the remains of the gutted Ororama Megacenter building and determine the cause of the fire and whether or not there is truth to allegations that it was set-off deliberately.
Baang said the team members immediately coordinated with the Ororama MegaCenter top-ranking supervisors and management officials to guide them through the area and to sort through the remains.
He added that three of the team members and Ororama’s head of the engineering division were immediately deployed to the fourth floor at the shoe department area where they believe the fire started.
Baang said Ororama MegaCenter staff had set up a cordon and allowed some of the store tenant lessees with their identification cards to get inside and retrieve whatever was left of their stores early yesterday morning.
However, he said he immediately ordered everyone to vacate the mall area except those who are part of the composite team and from the Ororama management staff.
He told them that the building structure is still unsafe and that it is best to keep the number of people inside to the minimum.
Baang clarified that the P20 million in damages already includes all those that were inside the building structure.
He nevertheless admitted that it would be best for See Hong, the owner of the Ororama MegaCenter, to not just renovate the building to get back to their department store business but to actually build a new building.
“Dugay kaayo napalong ang kalayo ug delikado na kay ang structura huyang na,” he said.
A management staff member who requested anonymity said Ororama’s owner See Hong has ordered that those who are in the regular supervisory and management staff will report to Ororama Cogon Branch while those who are of the rank and file will have to await for further orders.
Four former Ororama MegaCenter cellular phone store tenants who disclosed that they pay at least P300 a day rent to Ororama are requesting See Hong to atleast give them some capital to restart their business.
This even as one of them voiced suspicions that the entire incident was actually orchestrated as he cited how the Ororama Cogon branch had already went through two fire incidences and this week’s Ororama MegaCenter fire incident was the second time.
“Ngano ang Gaisano ug ang Limketkai dili man sila sige kasunogan? Ngano ang Ororama raman?,” he said adding that the City Government should look into this matter
Meanwhile, City Councilor Ramon Tabor lamented how the incident happened when it is already near Christmas and that many will be now left jobless.
He voiced hopes that these workers particularly those in the rank and file will be absorbed in the other Ororama branches or will be able to find jobs with the help of City Hall’s Philippine Employment Service Office (PESO).

Written by admin · Filed Under Cagayan de Oro 

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