Koko extends condolences to families of mall fire victims

Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Sunday expressed his condolences to the victims of the fire that struck a mall in Davao City.

A fire struck New City Commercial Center, or NCCC, one of the biggest malls in the city, and trapped 37 people inside.

"I cannot express with words the grief that I share with the families of those trapped inside NCCC. I still hope for the best possible outcome. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this terrible time", said Pimentel.

Those trapped were identified by Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte as employees of a call center located inside the mall.

Pimentel praised the bravery of firefighters who responded to the alarm, but also asked the Bureau of Fire Protection, or BFP, to thoroughly investigate the cause of the blaze.

The Senate President said, "I want to know why they were trapped, and if there is anything we could have done to avoid this. I look forward to the report of BFP and see if we need to update our fire safety regulations to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.