MUNAI, Lanao del Norte, Philippines?On Aug. 13, the country stood aghast over the mass exodus of more than 11,000 people from their remote villages in the boundaries of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur to seek safe shelter at the poblacion of Munai town 80 kilometers off Iligan City.

Overnight, the small town had been converted into one of the largest evacuation centers in Mindanao with the biggest number of evacuees seen so far since the all-out war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front declared by former President Estrada in 2000. This time, the people fled their homes when the military advanced to interior villages in a fierce hunt for MILF commanders Ameril Ombra Kato and Abdurrahman Macapaar alias Commander Bravo.

Fearing a humanitarian crisis, the government, non-government and donor organizations scampered to provide the basic needs of the evacuees, most of them hungry and ailing.

Calming voice

Amid the panic, one calming voice stood out?that of Dr. Sofia Omar, the town?s health officer. A veteran of war and an expert in relief and rehabilitation, Omar helped in putting a system in the flow of aid for the evacuees.

?Our main concern was the children. I deployed my staff to check on the children and we counted more than 2,000 children who needed to be treated and immunized right away. I only have three members in my team, so doing that wasn?t easy,? says Omar.

For several weeks, Omar will see an average of 100 patients everyday. ?Most of the evacuees have never seen a doctor, many already had lingering illnesses,? she narrates.

20 years of service

Eventually, help came in the form of medical outreach activities organized by various humanitarian groups. Doctors came to check on the sick but eventually left the place after referring the patients to Omar for treatment.

Omar says she is not new to such situations, serving the people of Munai for almost 20 years now.

?I?ve seen many evacuations before, but this seems to be the biggest,? says Omar as she pointed to the long line of patients waiting outside the health center.

Located in the border of Lanao del Norte and Sur, Munai has been the usual lifeline of support for many people living in interior villages that have become battlefields for the MILF and the military. Omar said being assigned in the area had been a life-changing experience.

Where she?s needed

?I began serving as rural health officer here right after I passed the board exam. I never aspired to make millions, I only wished to serve my people,? she says.

A member of a prominent Maranao clan, Omar had been asked by her family and friends to stay in the United States and practice her profession there. ?I refused. I am needed right here. Eventually they understood me and respected my decision,? she narrates.

Omar never looked back ever since. She has become the lifeline for more than 18,000 people, most of whom have never received adequate medical attention. Fully dedicated to her vocation, the doctor never married. Everyday, for 20 years, she shuttled from Iligan City where she lives to her health center in Munai, a two-hour trip on good days.

?There are times when the rain makes the road slippery and it takes a long time to scale up the rough road,? says the doctor as she narrates how, at one time, she almost died when the jeepney she and others were riding fell from the bridge and plunged into a ravine.

Longing for peace

?Fortunately my arms were only dislocated, I could still do check-ups even on a cast,? she recalls with a smile.

Surprisingly, despite the heavy load, not a glint of weariness can be seen on the doctor.

?Last August, I was thankful it was Ramadan when the evacuees arrived, that meant I need not take a break for lunch,? she says.

The sheer number of people depending on her never broke her resilience. Last month, Munai had been reported to have the highest number of deaths among the other evacuation centers in various areas in Central Mindanao. Among the causes of deaths were measles, severe pneumonia and renal failure.

?We attended to them as soon as they came. When I knew about the measles, I immediately reported to the Department of Health. We conducted a mopping up operation to monitor the cases, and immediately we did large-scale immunization,? says Omar.

A witness to endless fighting?between the MNLF and the military and the Ilagas, and now the MILF?Omar says she longs for peace.

?My people are tired of war. We all want peace to reign, but how? I just hope they continue with the negotiations,? she says, referring to the suspended talks with the MILF.

The only thing that worries Omar these days is if time comes she cannot shuttle to far-off Munai any longer.

?I will come here everyday for the rest of my life to treat my people. That is what I wanted in the first place, for me to help people for free, no money involved. I now consider them as family. I don?t want to miss a single day of coming here because I fear that something might happen to anyone here and I won?t be there to help. I just don?t want that to happen,? says the doctor.