By
Jose Cielito Reganit
December
8, 2017
 |
| Communications Secretary Martin Andanar |
MANILA
-- Communications Secretary Martin Andanar on Friday said the government,
through Task Force Bangon Marawi, is striving very hard to keep up the hope
that returning Marawi residents would go back to a peaceful and prosperous
Marawi as more internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the battle-scarred city
return to their homes.
In
a Palace briefing, Andanar said that as of December 7, 14,319 families or
71,595 persons have already returned to their homes in the 19 barangays
(villages) that were previously cleared by the military.
He
said these returnees are being provided with basic services and livelihood
programs for them to start a new beginning.
According
to him, the returnees have already accessed support and maintenance services
from the Department of Social Welfare and Development amounting to PHP116,530,934.
This
included financial assistance, pabaon food packs, hygiene kits and kitchen
kits.
“On
the supply of electricity, 54.12 percent of Marawi City is energized, according
to the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative (LASURECO). This includes barangays
where residents have already returned during the first and second batch of
Kambalingan (homecoming),” Andanar reported.
Additionally,
LASURECO, in cooperation with other electric cooperatives in Mindanao have also
already completed 73 percent of the primary electric lines in Barangay
Sagonsongan, where the transitional shelters for IDPs are being constructed.
“The
Small Business Corporation, a government corporation under the Department of
Trade and Industry that assists the micro, small, and medium enterprises have
distributed up to PHP10,000 worth of loans to each of 100 eligible IDP
borrowers to help them start businesses,” the Palace official said.
These
were distributed last December 5 and 6. "The sub-committee on business and
livelihood also continues to provide sari-sari store kits, sewing tools and
machines, carpentry and electronic technician kits to the IDPs in different
evacuation centers and to those residents who have already returned home to
Marawi,” Andanar said.
Meanwhile,
the Department of Education (DepEd) is set to launch “Brigada Eskwela sa
Marawi” on December 13 at Amai Pakpak Elementary School, with the actual
implementation beginning on December 14 to 15.
The
Palace official said that each DepEd division office (DO) in the country will
be paired with a Marawi City division school to assist.
Only
the Mindanao offices will facilitate the actual implementation, while the DOs
from Luzon and Visayas will mobilize the resources they would need.
“After
the kickoff, quick school level programs will be conducted, which will consist
of a community signing session for a manifesto ensuring schools as zones of
peace,” Andanar said.
In
the meantime, the local government unit of Marawi has already conducted
community mapping in barangays under cluster number 3 for the forthcoming next
leg of Kambalingan.
Andanar
said the result of the community mapping will be triangulated with the DSWD
database while the concerned barangay LGUs will submit a master list of the
returning IDPs.
Meanwhile,
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that DOH continues to respond to the
health challenges faced by displaced families.
He
said the IDPs are being regularly provided medical check-ups through the
“Tamang Serbisyong Pangkalusugan para sa Pilipino Services,” which included a
provision of medical supplies as part of the ongoing medical assistance to all
IDPs, whether staying in evacuation centers or home-based.
Nutrition,
especially of the young children and the elderly, is another important
consideration being responded to.
“Moreover,
psychological intervention has been made available to affected families and
service providers in an effort to address their mental health needs,” Duque
said.
According
to DOH data, a total of 86 deaths were recorded from May 23 up to the present
-- with common causes being pneumonia, sepsis, cardiovascular diseases, acute
gastroenteritis, and prematurity.
The
Health Secretary said that there are currently two Marawi hospitals -- the Amai
Pakpak Medical Center and the Doctor Abdullah Hospital -- that are operating on
a 24-hour basis, providing relevant medical services.
Furthermore,
there are 27 active referral hospitals near the city and 22 serviceable
barangay health stations and outposts in Marawi City itself that are open to
the public.
According
to Duque, the DOH central office, as well as its regional offices and partner
agencies, have so far given a total of PHP222,388,985 worth of logistics and
funding assistance to the hospitals as well as to the evacuation centers in the
concerned areas.
“We,
at the DOH, assure the people of Marawi that we will not waiver in our efforts
to rehabilitate the city through ensuring that their health needs are met on a
day-to-day basis, and we ask our fellow Filipinos there to stay strong and be
resilient in the everyday challenges of life,” Duque said.
After
liberating Marawi City from Islamic State-linked terrorists, the Armed Forces
of the Philippines (AFP) have also continued to progressively help the people
of Marawi.
AFP
spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr. said that aside from conducting
clearing operations in the most affected area, military engineering units are
proactively engaged with their counterparts from other government agencies in
the continuous construction of temporary shelters in the designated area.
However,
he admitted that progress in clearing the 36 barangays comprising the most
affected area, where most of the vicious fighting have taken place, has been
slow due to the presence of unexploded ordnance as well as improvised explosive
devices (IEDs) and booby traps left by the extremists.
The
military official said the slow progress is necessary to ensure that the area
is totally safe before the evacuees return.
