N. Cotabato town relief operation serves 1,844 flood-stricken MILF families

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 6): N. Cotabato town relief operation serves 1,844 flood-stricken MILF families

Local relief personnel had served a total of 1,844 families in three Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) communities recently inundated by flash floods due to torrential rains, the municipal disaster management reported Monday.

Tahira Kalantungan, chief of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office(MDRRMO), identified the MILF villages served as those of Nabundasan, Talitay and Inug-og.

This town and Kabacan were severely hit by heavy rains and flooding recently, due to a low pressure area (LPA), which inflicted huge damage to local farmlands and infrastructure facilities.

On Sunday, relief operations hit a snag after members of MILF - Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) held for some two hours the relief convoy entering the MILF villages.

Kalantungan downplayed the matter as plain “miscommunication” between the MDRRMO and MILF men as they have failed to inform the MILF leadership on the inclusion of military personnel in the convoy during the conduct of the relief mission.

“They (MILF) did not know that we would be accompanied by military men. But later, we were permitted to proceed and serve the flood-affected families,” she said.

Kalantungan said the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco) and Aboitiz Power Company also brought and donated food packs to the affected families.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=961431