Maguindanao IDPs to rebuild community

After more than a year of suffering, evacuees in North Kabuntalan, one of the towns in Maguindanao affected by the ongoing skirmishes between the government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are now taking a sigh of relief after the government, through its local government unit and some donor agencies gave assistance to rebuild their community last week.

The government’s ACT (Action for Conflict Transformation) for Peace Programme with the support of the United Nations (UN) is providing a package of assistance to thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Barangay Damatog, one of the villages in Northern Kabuntalan that was directly affected by the August 2008 armed skirmishes. The package includes the construction of 40 core shelters which amounted to more or less P2 million; a barangay health station and establishment of a Botika ng Barangay. These will be constructed by the stakeholders themselves under the “food for work” program which also serves as the counterpart of the Northern Kabuntalan local government unit (LGU).

The programme also provides support for the IDPs’ livelihood to start their living which includes the distribution of fishing gears, farm tools and sewing machines to 120 displaced families in the said Barangay. Poultry production project will also be provided to the evacuees.

The package of assistance is part of the Strengthening Response to Internal Displacement (STRIDE), a new project considered as among the priorities of the Philippine government and the UN’s ACT for Peace Programme. The project seeks to strengthen peace-building efforts and sustain the gains for peace and development in Southern Philippines. The government, in partnership mainly with the European Commission (EC), is responding to conflict situation and displacement by providing assistance through relief, early recovery and rehabilitation, focusing on construction of core shelters with complete facilities (water and sanitation), and livelihood.

“Evacuees have been living in an awful situation for more than a year now after Moro rebels attacked their villages and since then, these poor civilians have stayed in evacuation centers where they faced various problems such as psychosocial trauma and health risks especially among children. It is the government’s effort to end their miseries and bring back the lives they used to live and we are happy and thankful to receive such assistance graced by our government and foreign donors who supports the project.” said Mayor Ramil Dilangalen of Northern Kabuntalan.

Aside from Northern Kabuntalan, the project is also implemented in many IDP areas in Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, Lanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sarangani, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur, Shariff Kabusuan, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and other communities affected by armed conflicts from year 2003 up to present.##