Fire burns down old Comelec building, May 14 polls records

(Update 1) Fire of still undetermined origin burned down the two-story old building of the Commission on Elections in Intramuros, Manila, at 12:51 a.m. Sunday. Some documents, including applications for gun ban exemptions, were reportedly lost in the fire. An official said the Comelec will now have to work "double time" to avoid delays in the conduct of the May 14 elections. But Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. was quick to downplay speculations that the fire destroyed documents related to the elections just eight weeks away. These documents, he insisted, have been transferred. “Ang importanteng dokumento nasa kabilang building na. Buti pinalipat ko na ang secretariat sa kabilang building (The important documents have been transferred to the new building. It is good that the secretariat has been transferred to the new site)," Abalos said in an interview on dzXL radio. He was referring to the adjacent Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros district, only a stone’s throw away from the old Comelec building. But Comelec executive director Jose Pio Joson said the fire likely affected new applications for gun ban exemptions and media accreditations – and Comelec employees’ payrolls. “Ang bagong dating, maaring naapekto. Pero ang nasa itaas, sa opisina ni Commissioner (Nicodemo) Ferrer (The more recent applications for gun ban may be affected. But those that had been processed had been moved to the new building, in the office of Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer)," Joson told dzRH radio. He added the Comelec will need to work “double time" now in preparing for the polls. “Kailangan ang trabaho ngayon overtime, ngayon double time (We’ve been doing overtime before the fire. Now we’ll have to work double time)," he said. On the other hand, Joson said tourism secretary Jose Durano called up Abalos at about 2 a.m. and offered to help the Comelec find new temporary office space in Intramuros. The Department of Tourism operates many tourist facilities in the Intramuros district. However, this raised speculations of politicking as Durano is a spokesman for the administration’s Team Unity senatorial slate. “Si Sec. Durano kausap si Chairman Abalos mga 2 a.m. at nag-alok matulungan mahanap ng office sa Intramuros din (Right now I don’t know where we’ll relocate. But tourism secretary Durano called up the chairman at 2 a.m. and offered to find new office spaces for us in Intramuros)," Joson said. While firefighters declared the fire out at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, they have yet to determine what caused the blaze, which started at about 12:51 a.m. and reached the fourth alarm. Joson said there is also no estimate on damage to property, but he said the damaged equipment include computers, databases, photocopying machines and television sets used by the Education and Information Division for monitoring. “Malaki-laki (It will be large)," he said when asked about damage to property. Joson said the burned building housed the offices of administrative services, Records and Statistics Division, Education and Information Department, and the Office of the Executive Director and the offices of two deputy executive directors. The EID handles applications for accreditations for media entities that will cover the conduct of the May 14 elections. When asked about documents pertaining to candidates running in the May 14 polls, he said, “Wala yan, nasa 8th floor ng Palacio del Gobernador (They’re safe. They’re in the eighth floor of the Palacio del Gobernador)." Joson said about “30 percent" of the Comelec’s offices are still at the old burned building, but those of the commissioners, chairman, law department, and election content adjudication department have been transferred to the Palacio del Gobernador. Citing initial information, Joson said the fire started near the motor pool. He said he was told of the fire at about 1:15 a.m., some 15 minutes after the fire started. “Di agad napatay ang main fuse, ang kuryente gumapang (If it was an electrical fire, we did not cut off power quick enough, so the fire spread)," he said. Radio dzRH reported that small explosions were still heard early Sunday morning. The burned building houses the unit that processes petitions for exemptions from the Comelec gun ban. Arson investigators are also looking into initial statements by witnesses that the fire may have started from a standby generator in the old building. SFO2 Wilson Tana said the old two-story Comelec building was made of light materials, but the annex building was spared. At least 20 fire trucks maneuvered through the narrow streets trying to get closer to the burning building. -GMANews.TV