Help pours in for OFWs whose home was razed by fire in Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -  The bayanihan spirit once again came alive in the Filipino community here as help – groceries and used clothes – poured in for a group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) whose home was razed by fire at dawn on Thursday, Sept. 24.

In fact, there were so much assistance that the victims had to post on their Facebook page that they already have more than enough and actually have some more to give to the needy.

“Hindi po namin ine-expect,” said Gina Fe Sanico, a sales and marketing executive who was among those who lost their home to the fire.

“Noong una kasi, naka-private lang ang setting ng post. And then, on urging of our friends, ginawa naming public ang setting. Wala pang one day, kumalat agad. Nagkaroon ng 5,000 shares,” Sanico, the victims’ spokesperson, added.

She said Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes also called her to check on them.

“Si ConGen mismo tumawag sa akin. Tinanong niya kung may mga passports na nasunog at kung ano ang kailangan namin,” Sanico said.

“I immediately called them up and asked them what their immediate needs were and I coordinated with the Filipino community leaders to extend quick humanitarian assistance to the Filipino victims of the fire,” Cortes told GMA News Online.

“In cases where Filipinos are victims to fires or any disaster such as this, we contact the people directly involved and liaise with the Filipino community so that we can provide maximum assistance as possible. This is a manifestation of the close coordination between the consulate, its officials, and the Filipino community leaders and volunteers in extending whatever help our nationals may require," he added.

Gina Fe Sanico with a representative of the Philippine Consulate.  Photo courtesy: Jyn Sanico

Sanico added they shared the groceries with those who have been jobless or were on a no-work-no-pay setup due to the pandemic.

“Ang laking blessing,” she said. “Nawalan kami pero doble-doble ang bumalik at naging blessing pa sa iba.”

Sanico said fire broke out at around 5 a.m. at their villa in Al Badaa, Satwa. Their villa had four rooms with a common outdoor kitchen and a total of 20 occupants, 12 of whom were Filipinos, including a two-year-old  boy.

She said the fire started from an electrical outlet from which a microwave was plugged in. The fire quickly spread, causing one of the gas tanks to explode, according to her.

Sanico thanked the Dubai Fire and Rescue Department for swiftly responding to her distress call. “Tumawag ako  ng 5:13 a.m. Dumating sila bandang 5:24 a.m.,” she said.

The dawn fire on Sept. 24, 2020 razed a home shared by 20 people, 12 of whom were Filipinos. They ran for safety with just the clothes on their back.  Photo courtesy: Jyn Sanico

Sanico said her balikbayan box, which was supposed to be shipped soon for her loved ones in the Philippines in time for Christmas, was also razed.

She said their next door neighbors woke them up as the fire was blazing, saving them from being trapped because their room was next to a dead end.

In their haste, she said, they ran without flipflops or slip-ons and with only the clothes on their back.

“Ang iniisip lang namin ay isalba ang sarili namin kasi anytime puwedeng sumabog 'yung isa pang tangke ng gas na mas malaki,” Sanico said. —KG, GMA News