Magalong: Some sensitive docs burned in DPWH office fire in Baguio

Some sensitive documents were damaged in the fire that hit the regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in Baguio City.

This was according to Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong in Oscar Oida’s report on “24 Oras” on Thursday.

Investigators of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the fire at the DPWH-CAR office in Baguio City affected a large vault that reportedly contained sensitive DPWH documents.

The vault is fire proof, hence its contents – which were duplicate copies of DPWH documents already submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) – were safe.

However, Magalong said some sensitive documents were also burned in the fire. He added that it would be best to wait for the results of the investigation into the fire and the DPWH’s statement.

“Siguro it would take about five days. Siguro by Monday, magkakaroon na talaga ng linaw kung ano talagang nangyari,” the Baguio City mayor said.

(Maybe it would take about five days. Maybe by Monday, there will be some clarity as to what really happened.)

GMA Integrated News has reached out to the DPWH for comment. Earlier, the agency said it is coordinating with the BFP and the Baguio City local government unit (LGU) amid the probe of Wednesday’s fire.

Magalong said the DPWH-CAR regional office is heavily secured and guarded as ordered by DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, with no one – not even Rommel Tello, DPWH Assistant Secretary for Regional Operations for Luzon – allowed inside.

“Nagbigay siya (Dizon) ng instruction na ituloy-tuloy lang ang pag-secure sa site at walang papasukin. So 24/7, ipinagbabawal namin anybody, pati mga DPWH personnel na pumasok doon sa site na ‘yon while ongoing ang ating scene of the crime investigation,” the Baguio City official said.

(He gave instructions to continuously secure the site and to let nobody in. So 24/7, we prohibit anybody, even DPWH personnel, from entering that site while our scene of the crime investigation is ongoing.)

Quoting the initial investigation of the incident, Magalong said the fire originated from the building’s stock room.

Some witnesses reportedly saw an electric post near the building emitting sparks, after which the electrical current fluctuated and witnesses noticed a burnt smell.

The BFP central office will lead the investigation of the fire, but an initial probe of the BFP office in Baguio City revealed that the fire hit the financial management records’ storage room.

The BFP in Baguio City retrieved samples from the scene to find out what caused the blaze at the storage room.

“Nagkuha tayo ng samples and evidence for lab testing na ipapadala po nila ngayon sa national headquarters for verification,” said SFO1 Lloyd Furigay, public information officer of the BFP Baguio City office.

(We got samples and evidence for lab testing that we will now send to the national headquarters for verification.) — JMA, GMA Integrated News