ARMM turns over 14 trucks of relief goods

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/999885
• Tuesday, July 11, 2017

By Darwin Wally T. Wee (PNA)

MARAWI CITY - Fourteen dumptrucks filled with relief goods for the evacuees arrived on Monday at the Lanao del Sur provincial capitol in this city.

“This is part of our continuing distribution of relief goods. Each family received relief assistance that is intended for two weeks,” Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said.

Hataman brought with him the relief goods that could cover at least 3,000 families that were displaced in the ongoing gun battle between government forces and Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-inspired Maute group and Abu Sayyaf bandits.

Hataman has turned over the reliefs goods to the provincial government of Lanao del Sur, and of this city for distribution.

The relief items were generated through ARMM’s Humanitarian Emergency Action Response Team (HEART) program.

Hataman was also briefed by top military officials on the ongoing firefight.

Brig. Gen. Ramiro Manuel Rey, commander of Task Force Ranao, said the fighting is contained in at least four barangays that are located in the central business district of this besieged city.

The military has estimated that there are about 80 remaining terrorists holed up in 80 high-rise buildings in the conflict zone as of last weekend.

For the past days, military planes relentlessly bombed enemy positions.

Hataman said it will take some time before the civilians could return to the houses in the conflict zone as the military will clear the area for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnances.

He said the ARMM is prepared to provide relief assistance to the affected families.

The ARMM government has spent at least P35-million worth of emergency aid for over 200,000 internally displaced individuals.

On top of this, the regional government is also constructing sanitation facilities in some of the evacuation camps in Lanao del Sur to help ensure the health and well-being of families staying there.

While majority of the almost 46,000 families displaced by the armed conflict in Marawi City have sought shelter in their relative’s houses, some families are forced to crowd into evacuation camps.

“The unfavorable conditions in evacuation camps expose individuals staying there, especially the children, to potential health risks,” Hataman said.

Based on initial evaluation, sanitation facilities are needed in at least three evacuation sites in Lanao del Sur--two in the town of Saguiaran and one in Malabang.

ARMM’s Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will construct a total of 20 toilets in two evacuation camps in the town of Saguiaran and 10 toilets in Malabang.

The construction will also include washing and bathing facilities and the provision of water tanks.

The facilities, which will be separate for male and female, will cater to a total of at least 500 families.

Hataman said it will help improve conditions in the evacuation camps and reduce the risk of health problems.