The Office of the Vice President (OVP) said Thursday it has distributed aid to more than 5,000 individuals affected by the fire that razed the public market in Baguio City.

In a Facebook post, Vice President Sara Duterte said food boxes were given to the affected families.

“Nagbigay ng tulong kahapon ang Office of the Vice President Disaster Operations Center (OVP-DOC) at OVP Dagupan satellite office sa 5,340 na indibidwal o 1,415 na pamilya na naging biktima ng sunog sa public market ng Kayang-Hilltop, Baguio City (The OVP Disaster Operations Center and OVP Dagupan satellite office aided 5,340 individuals or 1,415 families affected by the fire that hit the public market in Kayang-Hilltop, Baguio City),” she said.

The fire broke out at the Kayang-Hilltop public market on March 11.

More than a thousand food boxes have been distributed in partnership with the municipal social welfare and development office of Baguio.

“Nasa 1,500 Relief for Individuals in Crisis and Emergencies (RICE) food boxes ang ipinamahagi sa mga biktima na nakatira sa iba’t ibang barangay sa lungsod (About 1,500 Relief for Individuals in Crisis and Emergencies food boxes have been given to the victims residing in various towns),” Duterte added.

Meanwhile, she said authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire that left millions of pesos worth of property lost.

To date, the estimated cost of damage hit as much as PHP24 million, according to local authorities. (PNA)