Manila: Secretary Corazon Soliman of the social welfare department promised to move Zamboanga City residents still living in makeshift shelters to safer homes by December, a year after thousands were displaced by fighting in the Philippines.
“We are targeting that all families will be transferred to transitional shelters by year-end with the 2,304 remaining families in the (Zamboanga City) Grandstand to be moved to safer homes by December 15,” a statement issued by the social welfare department quoted Soliman as saying during a press briefing in Zamboanga City.
The statement was issued barely a year after thousands of city residents were displaced by weeks of fighting between recalcitrant forces of Moro leader Nur Misuari and government troops.
The fighting in Zamboanga City broke out on September 9, 2013, after the Moro leader declared independence from the Manila-based central government in August of that year. The resulting fighting lasted for three weeks and had affected and displaced 23,794 families or 118,819 people.
Entire communities were burnt to the ground by the Misuari forces while some houses and government buildings came under shelling from both the military and the rebels.
In the aftermath of the fighting, local leaders had been confronted by a huge humanitarian crisis and some of the displaced peoples — Christians and Muslims alike as well as the nomadic Badjaus, had to live in tents for months.
They endured flooding in the makeshift dwellings as health authorities work hard to prevent epidemics from breaking out in the refugee camps.
Soliman said the Southern Philippines city was slowly getting back to normal and people were moving on with their lives.
“One year after this city suffered from the loss of lives, property, and the displacement of families as a result of the armed conflict between the military and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)-Misuari faction, the displaced families are well on their way to recovery,” Soliman said.
According to Soliman the family-evacuees at the Cawa-Cawa Boulevard were among the 1,906 families or 10,402 evacuees from evacuation centres who were already transferred to transitional shelters.
“These transitional shelters are located in the Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex (JFEMSC), Tulungatung, Taluksangay, Rio Hondo, Philippine Tuberculosis Society Inc. in Upper Calarian, Mampang, Sta. Catalina (Silsilah, Paniran), and Buggoc. On the other hand, a total of 44 families are now living at the Martha Permanent Resettlement site,” she said.
To help the displaced residents back on their footing, the government had provided livelihood support. The Department of Social Welfare and Development had given out P9.7 million (Dh817,681) capital seed fund to some 970 families at P10,000 (Dh843) each.
Likewise, the internally displaced peoples would be provided with livelihood training and be admitted to the government’s Cash-for-Work programme.
“To date, a total of P363.9 (Dh30.6 million) have been provided to the displaced families from the combined resources of the DSWD and partner-local and international organisations,” Soliman said.
Zamboanga City is located in the southwestern portion of the Mindanao mainland. Its culture and politics has strong Hispanic-Christian influence although a substantial proportion of the area’s residents are Muslim.
