ASEAN hands over relief for IDPs
THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) handed over relief items for internally displaced persons (IDPs) of the Marawi City siege on Friday, July 21 at the Laguindingan airport, Misamis Oriental.
This is in accordance with its One ASEAN, One Response disaster response declaration through its Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance
in Disaster Management (AHA Center) as the association mulled for the immediate transport of the relief items to Iligan City for distribution.
The ASEAN donated a total of 600 family tents, 600 family kits, more than 3000 personal hygiene kits, 600 kitchen sets, and 4 water filtration units for the IDPs of Marawi city and other affected localities near Lanao.
According to the latest report gathered by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) Operations Center of the Marawi city evacuees dated July 21, there are 5,055 families or 27, 335 persons who are now staying in 89 evacuation centers. While there are 98,846 families or 442,981 persons who are home-based evacuees or who are temporarily staying with their friends or relatives in the neighboring cities.
“Today we witness the realization of the One ASEAN, One Response. In the spirit of ASEAN solidarity, we are supporting the government and the people of the Philippines in the form of ASEAN relief items. This is one of those moments where the vision of the One ASEAN One Response is no longer an imagination but a realization,” Adelina Kamal, the AHA Center Acting Executive Director, said.
The relief items and equipment were received by Task Force Bangon Marawi Executive Director and Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary for Defense Operations, Cesar Yano together with Vice Chairperson for Disaster Response and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary, Judy Taguiwalo and Office of Civil Defense Officer-in-charge Assistant Secretary Kristoffer James Purisima.
“Now we see that the ASEAN is not only conducting meetings but are actually very responsive to the needs of its members through its actions. We see that now, with the Philippine chairmanship of the ASEAN and in its golden year, it is really functioning in accordance to its call,” Taguiwalo said.
“With all of these efforts by the ASEAN, we now feel that it is not only the Filipino people who are moving for Marawi city but also our other friends from the outside. AHA Center has been a very excellent partner of the NDRRMC in dealing with the major incidents that have happened and their donation would contribute to the success of our post-disaster operations,” Yano said.
Yano added that as of now, the rehabilitation of Marawi city has not yet been started as they are waiting for the complete clearance of the army to survey and start the rehabilitation of the place.
“As of now, we cannot really start the rehabilitation because the conflict is still going on. Before we can start we have to send people out there to see what has to be done so we have to wait for the military to tell us that it is alright to enter the location,” he said.