Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte on Thursday batted for more “sustainable” solutions to prevent a series of fires destroying properties and endangering lives, especially in depressed areas.
“Most of the causes is because of electrical wiring, such as faulty wiring, that is prone to overloading,” she said.
Citing the data from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Belmonte said 785 out of the 1,034 cases of fire in 2018 were due to electrical connections.
She said the Office of the Vice Mayor has partnered with the disaster risk reduction and management office, Manila Electric Co., Philippine Red Cross, and Bureau of Fire Protection to roll out a fire prevention education program this month.
The program shall teach people in the informal communities on how to prevent fire, how to prevent overloading and how to ensure that activities at home, such as cooking, would not lead to destructive fires.
The city government and Meralco would hold a caravan to educate residents on the installation of individual meters in each home under an electrification program for underprivileged communities.
The fire bureau said the majority of the fire incidents occur in informal settlements.
Of the 161 locations in Quezon City that were affected by fire last year, 115 were in informal settlements, four were in high-rise residential areas, and 42 are in low- to medium-rise residential areas.