REFUGEES GET CITY AID
Cebu City Gov’t. hands half a sack of rice to every refugee family from Marawi; City willing to offer livelihood training programs to them
Evacuees from Marawi City, through the Office of Muslim Affairs and Indigenous Cultural Heritage of the Cebu City Government, received rice yesterday as part of the City’s assistance.
The City appropriated P1 million for 399 sacks, and each family received half a sack.
This was the seventh time that the City gave assistance to the refugees, starting in the first week of June, a week after the Maute group attacked Marawi City. The siege ended some five months later.
Namreida belongs to one of those families who received the city’s aid.
Her family is contented with the assistance, but she also said they would have preferred something more sustainable.
“Kung pwede sana bigyan nila po kami ng puhunan para makasimula kami ng negosyo dito o trabaho para sa amin at tulong din sa edukasyon para sa mga bata (If they can us, please give us capital so we can start a business or work and get some help in sending our children to school),” she said.
The City is open to giving them livelihood and education programs if they wish to apply for it.
Mayor Tomas Osmena told the refugees that the City Government is willing to help them.
“Every day, we try something new. We just keep on going. And we see to it that tomorrow must be better than today. We’re making that happen,” he said.
The City plans to continue giving relief goods and to allocate a budget for the refugees for their fares back to Marawi, now that its rehabilitation has started. /