DAVAO CITY -- Less than a year after one of its branches caught fire, LTS Mall Inc. opened on Sunday the third branch of the New City Commercial Corp. (NCCC) Mall at Tigatto-Mandug Road, Buhangin, Davao City.

Althea Lucas, associate vice president of LTS Mall, assured the safety of their shoppers, pointing out the water sprinklers in every floor, as well as fire-proof fire exits.

She also said tenants and workers from NCCC Mall Matina are welcome to work in their new mall.

"If they want to join here, they are still welcome" Lucas said.

With regards to plans for the burned NCCC Mall, Lafayette Lim, chief executive officer of LTS Pinnacle Holdings Inc., the mother company of the NCCC Group, said they will still build another mall within the area but have no timeline yet for the construction.

• READ: Fire razes Davao mall

They also have no comment on the filing of cases against top officials of NCCC by the Inter-Agency Anti-Arson Task Force.

A total of 33 people died in the fire that hit the NCCC Mall in Ma-a on December 23, 2017.

• READ: Davao mall fire death toll hits 38

The new NCCC Mall Buhangin is a five-storey building with an area of 18,000 square meters.

The supermarket and the department store are the only ones operating at the moment as construction is still ongoing in some areas.