Rafael Cabunoc (owner of the Kyle sari-sari store which survived the May 1 Calanipawan fire) reported that Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez paid him Ten thousand (P10,000.00) pesos for all the items in his store (food, water, and other refreshments) to give to the firemen, volunteers, and others who responded to the incident.

“Ihahatag ko nala unta adto nga mga baligya, kay an akon kahuna maaapil kasunog gihap an amon tindahan, pero nag-insister man hi Mayor nga maghatag hin kwarta ha amon. Para daw makainom an mga bombero ngan mga nagbulig. Amo ginpalit niya an amon mga tinda,” Rafael said.

(I was about to give everything that I was selling because I thought our store would also be burned down, but Mayor insisted that he give the money to us. This was so that the firemen and volunteers could drink. That’s why he bought the goods that we were selling.)

Cabunoc together with his wife Corazon and their four month old baby were among the fire survivors.