No sensitive documents were lost in the fire that broke out at the Department of Public Works and Highways-Cordillera Administrative Region (DPWH-CAR) office last January 14, Public Works Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III assured during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Monday.
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros had asked about the files affected and whether the blaze could have been intentional, citing Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong’s claim that sensitive records were destroyed.
“Sabi ni Mayor (Benjie) Magalong, sensitive documents were lost in that fire. Doon po mismo sa record section nagsimula ang sunog na iyan. Sa ganiyang statement ni Mayor, lumalabas po bang arson? ‘Di nasunog pero sinunog ‘yung records na ‘yun?” Hontiveros asked.
Bernabe said the agency would not speculate, noting that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) investigation is still ongoing.
“Madam Chair, as to the final report, as to the cause of the fire, it has yet to be determined by the BFP. However we have here the list of all the affected documents and it appears na wala namang sensitive documents, and all of which we have copy of,” he explained.
He added that the lost files were “old files” and that duplicates are maintained. The DPWH has a team coordinating closely with the BFP.
Baguio City Fire Marshal Mark Anthony Dangatan earlier confirmed the fire originated from the Financial Management Records Room, affecting about one square meter. It was reported at 5:25 p.m., controlled by 5:36 p.m., and declared out by 5:43 p.m.
Bernabe said preventive measures are in place, including scanning and duplicating all documents.
“As of the moment, at the very least when we came in, lahat po ng documents we required them to be scanned and get copies of. Ito pong mga sunog, may mga standards po to avoid fire. However ‘di po namin maiwasan kapag may ganitong insidite. Ang magagawa lang po namin is secure documents and ensure we have copies, and all are accounted for,” he said.
The incident follows a similar fire last October at a DPWH office in Quezon City, which engulfed the third floor of one building and triggered a third-alarm response.