MATALAM, Cotabato - At least 200 pupils of Kidama Elementary School in Matalam, Cotabato who were displaced due to clashes between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) opted not to go to school due to lack of school supplies and clothes to wear, a school principal disclosed.
Mary Ann Balmonte, the school head, said these children who are mostly Moro are residents of Purok 5 and 6. They have left their homes and lost their personal belongings when alleged members of the MILF torched their communities.
Balmonte said these schoolchildren temporarily sought refuge at the barangay hall with their families and some 1,000 evacuees who also chose to stay there for their safety.
A mother with her six children stay at the evacuation site in Barangay Kidama, Matalam, Cotabato as tension between the MILF and MNLF remains high. At least 200 Moro pupils stopped schooling after they were displaced due to the tension. Williamor A. Magbanua
“While we understand the plight of these children, we cannot afford to see them suffering and compromise their schooling,” Balmonte said.
Balmonte added that to help these pupils, teachers as well as some Good Samaritans pooled their contributions to purchase school supplies so the children can return to school.
The school principal also assured the parents that they need not worry about food since the Department of Education (DepEd) North Cotabato division has an on-going feeding program at Kidama Elementary School.
Balmonte however appealed to the public to donate clothes and food items for the children evacuees in order not to hamper their schooling.
“If you have more than enough, please share it to our less fortunate children who are suffering due to this conflict,” Balmonte said.
Felipe Maluenda, Kidama barangay chairman, also disclosed that there are children and elderly suffering from cough and flu due to the severe temperature at the evacuation center.
Maluenda said that aside from food, tarpaulin, personal hygiene kits and comfort rooms, the evacuees also need medicines.
“We cannot ascertain when these evacuees can return to their place since tension is still high in the area,” Maluenda said.
Mayor Oscar Valdevieso on the other hand gave food packs to the affected families as immediate assistance for at least a week at the evacuation site.
North Cotabato Governor Emmylou Talino-Mendoza also sent food packs for the evacuees.
But Valdevieso said they are now fast-tracking the return of the evacuees or "bakwits" to their communities so they can go back to normal life and till their farms to sustain their daily needs.
The mayor also said he will send a representative in the affected barangays to validate the number of shanties burned by the armed men for immediate assistance.
He said the LGU will shoulder the restoration of the burned houses in Barangay Kidama.
“We will also give additional food packs to returning evacuees,” Valdevieso said.
To ensure the security of returning evacuees, the 7th Infantry Battalion set up checkpoints and deployed additional troops within the boundaries of Barangay Kidama and Marbel where the conflicted parcel of land is being contested.
Valdevieso also urged the national government to intervene in order to end the longtime land conflict in Matalam. On New Year's Eve, three MNLF gunmen were killed in a firefight with MILF soldiers in Matalam.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/550010/news/regions/at-least-200-moro-pupils-stop-schooling-due-to-milf-mnlf-clash-in-cotabato
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