Call for peace

More than 750 volunteers from Metro Manila and different regions in Mindanao converge in different conflict areas in Mindanao yesterday to respond to calls for humanitarian intervention in communities affected by the fight between the government and the Isis-inspired Maute Group as well as communities affected by the declaration of martial law in Mindanao.

Led by Kalinaw Mindanao, an alliance of faithbased, service organizations, human rights and people’s organizations, the volunteers responded to the call for an interfaith intervention through a National Interfaith Humanitarian Mission (NIHM) geared towards bringing relief and medical services to victims and evacuees, as well as document human rights violations brought about by the declaration of martial law.

The mission covered five mission areas: Marawi City in Lanao del Sur, Iligan City in Lanao del Norte, Matanao in Davao del Sur, President Roxas in North Cotabato and Mamasapano in Maguindanao.

In Iligan City, the mission converged at the mini-theater of the Mindanao State Unversity- Iligan Institute of Technology for an opening program with more than 200 participants for the NIHM in Lanao.

“Kalinaw, meaning peace, is what we seek in Mindanao. So much suffering and violence has been done to the Mindanawons, especially our Moro brothers and sisters. This has to stop now,” said Aida Ibrahim, spokesperson of Kalinaw Mindanao-Northern Mindanao Region.

“Gathering from our initial research, there are more than 200,000 evacuees from Marawi. A total of 3,584 families or 21,000 individuals, mostly children, elderly and women have fled to Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur,” Ibrahim said.

Evacuees in the gymnasium of Balo-I, Lanao del Norte have already put up signs inside the evacuation centers, “Please stop martial law and stop bombing in Marawi City.”--