DAVAO CITY - The office of the First Congressional District Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte distributed on Saturday afternoon cash aid and rice packs to more than 500 families affected by a fire incident in Barangay Vicente Duterte in Agdao District.

Each recipient - which composed of house owners, sharers, boarders, renters, and caretakers - received cash aid and 10 kilos sack of rice from Rep. Duterte's office. The distribution was held at Holy Cross Drive in Barangay Vicente Duterte at around 1:30 p.m.

House owner Lyn Noble, 31, a factory worker, described the current situation as exhausting. She added that she and her husband were not around when the fire gutted down their house; not even a single valuable item was saved from the incident.

"Maayo nalang naa koy paryente diri sa siyudad, didto mi karon temporarily nag-stay samtang gapaabot mi kung kanus-a pwede makabalik sa amoa or kung mangita na ba mi niini ug balay na makabalhinan," Noble said.

In the initial report from the Davao City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), 574 families have been affected by the incident, of which 275 are house owners, 126 are sharers, 127 are renters, 40 are boarders, and six are caretakers. 

The fire gutted down over 300 houses at Purok IKP and San Jose in Barangay Vicente Duterte on March 9, Tuesday, at around 2:53 p.m. leaving the victims homeless. All victims are temporarily sheltered at Kasilak Gymnasium and two other evacuation centers in the barangay.

Barangay Vicente Duterte chairwoman Remedios dela Luz said that she was really saddened about the incident. Luz expressed her gratitude to the First Congressional District Office, especially to Rep. Duterte, for the extended help to the fire victims. 

The district office has been giving food packs not only to its constituents, but also to other areas of Davao City where people are in need of immediate assistance even amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.