THE Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) set up a relief operation center in Malabang, Lanao del Sur to coordinate and manage its humanitarian response to the ongoing crisis in Marawi City.
The center, which is managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Armm, will facilitate the management and coordination of the resources and efforts gathered by the regional government in response to the crisis.
Armm Governor Mujiv Hataman said the center is tasked to provide “an effective, integrated and collective response to the immediate needs of displaced families.”
DSWD-Armm Assistant Secretary Pombaen Kader, said the “operation and coordinating center” established in Malabang will help the region optimize its relief assistance to the affected residents.
“It will serve as the hub of information and the mobilization of our resources,” she said.
As of Wednesday, May 31, the region has already served around 134,420 internally displaced persons (IDPs), who are either home-based or in designated evacuation centers.
The Armm Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team recorded a total of 218,665 IDPs as of May 31. The number of individuals trapped in Marawi City is at 3,023.
The fighting has also affected 92 public schools and 90 private schools. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)