FOR Pastor Lourdes Estremos, a born-again Christian, the recent clashes between government troops and Abu Sayyaf members in Inabanga and Clarin in Bohol have made her closer to the five orphaned girls she is taking care of.
“They need the love of God, not only of a mother during times like these. When the gunfight happened, they were so near that my heart almost exploded when I pulled them to safety,” she said.
Estremos, a pastor for 12 years now, and her adopted children hid in the basement of their rented house in Barangay Nahawan during last Saturday’s encounter.
They are temporarily seeking shelter in the Bohol Island State University (BISU) in Clarin.
Estremos said her family has been traumatized by the events.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development said it would provide stress debriefing to children and adults.
The agency also distributed relief packs containing five kilos of rice, four cans of sardines, two cans of corned beef and 10 sachets of coffee to each evacuated family.
The BISU-Clarin campus houses 600 families, almost 2,000 individuals, who were hurriedly evacuated during last Saturday’s clash in Barangay Nahawan, Bacani and Caboy.
Residents were advised to provide the military with correct information so the remaining three Abu Sayyaf members will be caught.
Luzviminda Estillore, a polio victim since she was eight years old, had to be carried by her husband in a wheelchair while they left their house in Barangay Nahawan.
“It may be hard for me but it’s more difficult for my grandchildren. They’re young, but if it’s my time to die then it’s okay with me,” she said in Cebuano.
Her family is staying with her brother in in Clarin.
Evacuees were also given water, food packs and first aid kits by the Philippine Red Cross.
Local doctors also provided medical care.
The Clarin Municipal Council has declared a state of calamity, following the ongoing manhunt operation by government troops for the last three remaining Abu Sayyaf members, according to Mayor Rey Allen Piezas.