SAYS CABRAL
Some Mindanao evacuees return home
By Edson C. Tandoc Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 07:32:00 12/03/2008
Filed Under: Armed conflict, Mindanao peace process, The Southern Campaign, Evacuation(General)
MANILA, Philippines—Some 6,000 families displaced by armed conflict in Mindanao have returned to their houses as the situation in the region begins to normalize, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said Tuesday.
“We hope the situation will continue to improve,” Cabral said in an interview after she spoke at the 3rd ASEAN government and non-government organizations forum at the Manila Hotel Tuesday.
She said the number of families in evacuation centers monitored by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) shrank from the original 18,000 to only 12,000 as of last week.
Still, Cabral said: “Our relief operations continue.”
The DSWD is not only providing basic goods but also toys for children in Mindanao this Christmas. It has partnered with two foundations to collect toys in Metro Manila and distribute them to children affected by the armed conflict in Mindanao.
The DSWD hosted a forum Tuesday which brought together social welfare departments and NGOs from Southeast Asian countries.
“What we want is to see how the governments and NGOs can work together for better and faster delivery of social services,” Cabral said.
The forum was attended by representatives from the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam. There was also one representative from the politically unstable Thailand.
Cabral said the forum aimed to put together a “consortium” of neighboring countries so they could learn from each other’s experiences and share excellent social welfare practices.
For instance, she said the Philippines can learn from the welfare programs for the elderly of Singapore. She admitted that the Philippines has not paid much attention on taking care of its elderly.
However, she said the Philippines has strong programs for the protection of children and for providing livelihood support which representatives from Indonesia and Nepal had already learned from.
“In the Philippines, the collaboration between the government and the NGOs is close. The government recognizes that NGOs are effective social service partners,” Cabral said.
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