Humanitarian aid for internally displaced persons continues
to be provided by the government concerned agencies as well as the military.
On Tuesday, volunteers from the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM), soldiers and civic groups jointly conducted relief operations
in the Market Area of Talayan town in Maguindanao which served as temporary
homes of thousands of IDPs displaced by armed conflict in Maguindanao's 13
towns.
The Army launched law enforcement operations against the
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters which already claimed the lives of 151 Moro
armed men and 10 government forces.
Fighting has waned since March 31 when the military
terminated the massive operations but vowed to continue small scale offensive
to fully neutralize the BIFF.
Displaced folks are reluctant to return to their homes,
worried that BIFF bandits could return and rebuild camps in their villages
again.
But Capt. Joann Petinglay, speaking for the regional Army
unit, said the military has established positions in all former BIFF stronghold
in Maguindanao's four adjoining tows of Mamasapano, Shariff Aguak, Datu Shariff
Saydona and Datu Saudi Ampatuan.
Maguindanao's 13 municipalities have been placed under state
of calamity to maximize the government's relief and rehabilitation efforts in
conflict-wracked areas.
The latest relief operations were jointly initiated by the
Anak Mindanao (Amin) Partylist, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and the ARMM's
Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Team (HEART).
ARMM-HEART has been spending P2 million a month for relief
food supplies of about 120,000 displaced persons.
But about 25,000 evacuees have already returned home after
the Army gave the go signal that it was safe for them to go back home.
Tuesday's relief operation was also assisted by the' Kaya
Natin' Movement for Good Governance, a non government organization actively
supporting the national government's peace process in southern Philippines
Amin Partylist Rep. Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman lauded the
military for providing relief assistance and sending in manpower to make the
relief distribution easy and manageable.
Petinglay said the Army is now focused on helping IDPs as
well as helping their shattered communities due to atrocities committed by the
BIFF.
Military doctors also helped the Department of Health in the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao attend to the daily health needs of IDPs.
Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr, DOH-ARMM regional secretary said
at least 90,000 persons remain in evacuation sites in Maguindanao, about 9,000
of whom were pregnant women.
The only child has died in evacuation center and two
civilians wounded in the armed conflict.
Health Sec. Janette Garin who visited Maguindanao for three
days lauded the health providers, the front liners in humanitarian dislocation
in Maguindanao, for a job well done.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=751324
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