Death and destruction in Lustre

From Rappler (Sep 27): Death and destruction in Lustre

On Friday, September 27, the 19th day of the standoff here, Lustre Street is flattened and burned, like a scene from an apocalypse movie. The once lively street is littered with piles of debris, toppled electric posts, damaged houses, empty bullet casings, trash.

Near a corner, a Philippine flag is visible from the top of the KGK building, which was transformed by Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fighters as their fortress at the height of the siege. Today the building is riddled with bullet holes.

Just a block away from KGK, houses and other structures are almost invisible, razed to the ground by gunfire. Coconut trees look like burnt matches.

The stench of death hangs in the air.

As the dead are buried, there's a sense that the siege is indeed almost over. But MNLF rebels continue to engage government troops in sporadic battles. Where they get their ammunition within a military blockade is something officials themselves want to find out.

READ: Day 19: Dead bodies on the ground

At 10 am on Friday fire broke out again in the villages of Sta Catalina and Rio Hondo. This was followed by another firefight.

Navy personnel also torched a boat used by MNLF rebels in Barangay Talon-Talon.
AFP spokesman Lt Col Ramon Zagala said soldiers continue to clear the area of the remaining followers of MNLF commander Habier Malik.

"It is important that we search areas to remove threats," Zagala said.

Don't go home yet

And with more than 100,000 residents taking shelter in evacuation centers, Zagala asked the evacuees to remain patient and not attempt to return to their villages since some rebels are still holed out in some areas.

He said that the hostages recovered yesterday divulged that they were the last hostages held by the rebel group, but Zagala said the military is still verifying the information.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco announced that the Department of Trade and Industry has reported that almost 95% of the establishments within the city's commercial center have now resumed their operations.

"Store owners remain compliant with the suggested retail prices of basic and prime commodities," Climaco said.

Climaco said at least 40 commercial banks have also reopened.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and its partner organizations continue to deliver relief services for the displaced residents and have already allocated P3.9B for the early recovery and rehabilitation efforts.

“This is a huge challenge to us but the government is making sure that the early recovery and rehabilitation efforts are well organized and systematized,” DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman said.

READ: 'Humanitarian crisis' in Zamboanga City

Soliman said the government’s rehabilitation program includes one month continuing relief assistance, college educational assistance, supplementary feeding for children and livelihood assistance.

New housing site?

A balik-probinsya program will also be launched to provide transportation and incidental assistance to the evacuees.

The government said it will also construct temporary bunkhouses and permanent shelters for residents who lost 10,000 houses that were either damaged or razed to the ground.

The DSWD and the city government are identifying areas where they will be relocated.
President Benigno Aquino III earlier promised that the government will evacuees housing projects. These housing sites will have open spaces, schools, roads and drainage systems, Aquino said.

The DSWD has already released P82,505,515 million worth of assistance for the displaced residents.

At least 118,819 residents are now affected by the conflict while 99,193 residents are taking shelter in 33 evacuation centers.

About 71,265 of the evacuees are staying inside the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex.

Meanwhile, the curfew from 8 pm to 5 am will still be implemented. Climaco asks the residents to always bring identification cards for counter-checking when passing through checkpoints.

Village officials were also instructed to halt the issuance of Community Tax Certificates as part of the security measures of the city.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/40031-death-destruction-lustre