Tuesday, October 07, 2008 Relief assistance poured on Lanao evacuees
THE thousands of people displaced by the attacks staged by the rouge Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) group led by Abdulrahman Macapaar have already received a total of P3.13 million in relief assistance, official said.
The donors are the United Nations (UN) and non-government and civil society organizations, as well as the private sector groups that sympathized with the plight of the displaced people.
Carmelito Lupo, the director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Northern Mindanao, said the biggest amount of relief assistance came from the United Nations-World Food Programme (UN-WFP), which donated P2.28 million for rice and assorted food items.
Lupo said other donors shared cash, food and non-food items, such as sleeping mat, kitchen utensils, medicines, and medical supplies.
Lupo said the amount of donation is about seven percent of P38.63 million, the total cash assistance extended to the LDN displaced families.
Thousands of people fled their homes when the group of Commander Bravo staged attacks last August 18 in the province of Lanao del Norte.
Commander Bravo and his men are now on the run as they are continuously being pursued by the military troops in the area.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Northern Mindanao has established satellite offices to facilitate the distribution of relief goods to the affected families in Lanao del Norte. (Bong Garcia)
