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Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Cabral, Duque to supervise relief effort in Mindanao
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directed concerned government agencies to oversee a massive social relief operation in all the areas affected by the skirmishes between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Arroyo also thanked private groups like the Philippine National Red Cross for their assistance and enjoined others to continue providing humanitarian support to the affected residents.
She directed Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to personally supervise the intervention measures and provide immediate aid to the thousands who were displaced and forced to leave their homes.
National Disaster Coordinating Council chairman and concurrent Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. was also ordered to "trigger the release of funds for relief and rehabilitation of affected families and other victims."
The education and public works departments meanwhile were tasked to conduct inspection, assessment and immediate rebuilding and rehabilitation of damaged or destroyed structures like schools, buildings, roads, among others.
The Department of Health (DOH) has placed on red alert two hospitals in Ozamis City and in Cagayan de Oro City to accommodate victims of the ongoing armed conflict.
According to Duque, hospitals placed under red alert status include the Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro and Mayor Hilarion Ramiro Regional Training and Teaching Hospital in Ozamis City.
He said all its staff and personnel must be on stand by for 24 hours to attend to patients.
Earlier, the DOH also set up six evacuation centers in Iligan City and another six in Ozamis City to accommodate displaced families.
There are already about 12,000 individuals staying in the evacuation centers.
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the concerned agencies would also determine if there is a need to increase aid to earlier assisted provinces like North Cotabato which was also attacked by the MILF last week.
Dureza said the latest attack from the MILF is expected to "concern" foreign investors especially those with businesses in the areas affected by the clashes.
"That is the biggest long-term effect of the Lanao incident because attacks like those in Lanao, reverberate to the whole world and investors are always shaken even by sensitivity of whether their money would be safe or not. So definitely, it's going to have a big effect on investors," he said.
He added that the faster the rebuilding and rehabilitation of the affected places are done, the better for everyone.
"I've been doing Mindanao for a long time, events like this put us back, setback all our efforts not only for peace but also development. No investors will come if we are pictured to be a troubled area," Dureza said. (JMR/MSN/Sunnex) |
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