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Sunday, September 21, 2008
Lanao guv says evacuees could swell to 100T
DAVAO CITY -- Residents affected by the armed conflict between the Moro rebels and government forces in two provinces in Mindanao could reach to 100,000 as skirmishes continue, an official said.
Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal "Bombit" Adiong Jr. said as of Thursday last week, there were about 14,000 families displaced by the armed conflict and are now staying in Lanao del Sur. He added that more are staying in evacuation centers in neighboring towns.
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He also said the number is growing and expected to increase to 20,000 families as skirmishes continued in some parts of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte.
It was quite surprising though that Lanao del Sur has no identified evacuation center despite the growing number of internally displaced people (IDP).
Adiong said this is because the evacuees prefer to stay in homes of their relatives rather than in evacuation centers.
"Ganyan talaga kasi ang kultura naming mga Maranao. Kaya wala kaming evacuation centers dito, pero pinapadala pa rin namin yung aming mga tulong sa mga barangay na merong mga bakwit (That is part of the Maranao culture, that's why we have no evacuation centers here. But we still send help to affected villages with evacuees)," Adiong said.
The governor feared that with the swelling number of IDPs, their resources might run out soon. It was learned that the Provincial Government had already spent P10 million for food relief alone since the conflict started on August 18.
In last week's encounter in Calanogas town where at least four soldiers were killed, Adiong said more evacuees are expected to troop to his province, especially in Marawi City. He added that they expect the number to swell to 20,000 families or roughly about 100,000 people.
Adiong said the World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations had already released 7,000 sacks of rice to Lanao del Sur with a counterpart of 3,000 from the province. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) also donated 500 sacks.
This is, however, not enough with the rising IDPs, thus Adiong said he would request for 10,000 more sacks of rice from WFP.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), meanwhile, assailed the continuing armed offensive by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), branding it as "totally insensitive and unprincipled."
The MILF claimed that firing of 105mm and 155mm howitzers by the AFP affected the municipality of Piagapo, Lanao del Sur and the towns of Poonapiagapo, Pantao Ragat and Munai in Lanao del Norte.
"The heavy bombardments were unleashed by the AFP when we Muslims were partaking Suhur (allowable early morning meals before fasting starts) and the iftar (time to partake food to break the fast starting sunset)," the MILF's report in www.luwaran.com quoted one resident as saying.
The rebel group claimed that government soldiers also attacked MILF rebels in Panggawa and Tagoranao, Calanogas in Lanao del Sur during iftar.
The MILF claimed to have killed 21 government soldiers in an ambushed stage by the rebels at Bubongaranao, Calanogas last September 17. (BOT/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (September 21, 2008 issue)
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