Marawi City - Ramain, which is supposed to be the nearest
municipality from Marawi, became the farthest after the route towards the areas
was cut when fighting started between the government forces and the
Daesh-inspired group last May.
Nine truckloads of goods that were transported by
personnel of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development, Lanao del Sur and
the soldiers under Task Group Ranao, led by Brigadier General Ramiro Rey, and
the soldiers of the 103rd Brigade, led by Colonel Gene Ponio, reached the hands
of 2, 772 internally displaced families in Ditsaan, Ramain Municipality in
Lanao del Sur.
Each family received a half-sack of rice, some canned
goods, and other commodities through the courtesy of the World Food Program, a
humanitarian organization of the United Nations.
Abedin Bala Maunte, 37, married with four kids, whose
children are temporarily attending school near Ramain, said: “Gusto naming
magpasalamat sa gobyerno at sa mga taong tumulong saamin sa gitna ng sagupaan
ng militar at mga terorista.” (“We want to thank the government and those who
extended their assistance amid the gun battle between the military and the
terrorists.”)
Before the terrorist attacked Marawi, Maunte and his
family live in Lilod, Saduc, Marawi City, where the patriarch works as a
welder. They are among the thousand families temporarily sheltered in Barangay
Buada Babay, Disaan, Ramain in Lanao del Sur.
“Nagagalak po kami sa mga tulong na aming natatanggap
mula sa gobyerno at iba pang tao, ngunit nanawagan rin po kami sa mahal na
Presidente na sana ay madagdagan pa ang tulong na pinansyal, pagkain, at
kadamitan para sa aming araw-araw na pamumuhay (We are elated with the help
that we are receiving from the government and the people; however, we are
calling on the President to help us as we need more assistance in terms of
money, food, and clothes to sustain our living),” said Caironisa Saro, 26,
married to a former farmer with 6 children, whose family is among the refugees
in Ramain.
Engineer Mustapha Salic, the municipal planning and
development coordinator of Ramain, said this is the fourth set of relief goods
that were distributed by the government to the evacuees.
Personnel of the Provincial Social Welfare Office of
Lanao del Sur and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
assisted in the delivery of goods, while the LGU Ramain supervised the distribution.
The evacuees earlier received kitchen utensils, food
packs, and hygiene kits from various benefactors.
Ramain Municipal Mayor Saidamen “Axel H. Amer Adiong
also expressed his gratitude to the government, through the different offices
and agencies, including the provincial government, for the delivery of goods.
“We want to thank you for heeding to the cry of
Maranaos and for delivering more assistance to the refugees,” said Adiong. “I
also commend the armed forces for allowing our fishermen from 14 barangays in
Ramain to continue fishing in Lanao Lake for their sustenance," added
Adiong.
Representatives of the DTI- Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao were also present to monitor the prices of basic commodities in
the municipalities hosting evacuees, including Saguiaran, Pantar, and Ramain.
Nasser Repors, chief admin of the Lanao del Sur
Provincial Office of the ARMM, said, “The slight increase in the prices is
tolerable, taking into consideration the transportation expenses incurred by
small-scale entrepreneurs, who are passing a longer route after commuters were
denied access on the previous route from Marawi to Ramain and vice versa.”
The agency further recommended to the local government
of Ramain the immediate activation of the Local Price Coordinating Council to
monitor and regulate the prices of commodities.
“Rolling stores will be coming in with goods the same
as with the prices in Iligan City anytime this week,” added Arumpac.
The relief distribution ended around 4 in the
afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Task Group Tabang, led by Colonel
Sedano, spearheaded the conduct of a poster-making contest as part of its peace-building
initiatives in different evacuation centers last Monday (July 24).
Maranao children scribbled messages of peace and
denounced violent extremism in the City of Marawi.
Posters, appealing for the cessation of armed
conflicts and the rehabilitation of the besieged city, showed the sentiments of
at least 31 Maranao children, who are displaced by the prolonged battle between
the Joint Task Force Marawi and the Daesh-inspired group.
"Hangad namin ay kapayapaan, hindi gyera,” cried
a Maranao child, while grasping his self-made poster.
More recreational and sports activities are already
scheduled for the different evacuation centers this month.
On that same day, the Task Group Tabang also
distributed 4,250 food packs in the municipalities of Balo-i and Saguiran. The
food packs were donated by the Regional Government of Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao, Governor Mujiv S. Hataman. The goods were traveled by the 6th
Infantry Kampilan Division through M35 trucks, from Central Mindanao to Marawi
over the weekend.
"We wish to give humanitarian efforts the same
priority as with our combat operations," said Brigadier General Joselito
Bautista, Commander of the Joint Task Force Marawi.
"Civil Military Operations officers and
personnel, together with humanitarian groups, are currently imbedded in
different evacuation centers to foster and care for our evacuees and to somehow
ease their burdens through the conduct of different recreational
activities."
Lieutenant General Carlito G. Galvez, Jr, Commander of
the Western Mindanao Command, also thanked the World Food Organization and the
Honorable Governor Mujiv S. Hataman for the food packs provided.
The WestMinCom chief vowed to continue supporting all
humanitarian activities and make all efforts IDP-centered.
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