MSU bombing victims get assistance from gov’t – PCO

FILE PHOTO: Authorities secure the gymnasium of Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City on Sunday, December 2, 2023, shortly after it was turned into a bloody crime scene. The university issued a statement condemning the attack, noting how it was carried out on a campus and targeted a religious ceremony attended by students, a first in MSU’s history. —Lanao Del Sur Provincial Government/REUTERS

MANILA, Philippines — Assistance poured for victims of the deadly explosion at the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City last December 3,

According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the victims and their families received aid from the national government and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The PCO said in a statement Friday that Presidential Adviser for Peace Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Al-Hadj Murad Ebrahim, together with executives from BARMM’s Social Services and Development (MSSD), visited the victims on December 4, a day after the blast that left four people dead and 50 others wounded.

Six injured people admitted to the Amai Pakpak Medical Center each received P25,000 through MSSD’s Bangsamoro Critical Assistance for Indigents in Response to Emergency Situations (B-CARES) program to support their medical and basic needs, the PCO noted.

Another three people injured in the explosion who were brought to the MSU Infirmary received P5,000 each for transportation while 14  more who were confined in the same hospital were provided P2,000 each for their medical needs.

READ: IS claims responsibility for deadly bombing at Mindanao State University

Families of the three people who died in the blast likewise received P50,000 each from the MSSD.

MSSD Provincial Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Adelaida Mohamad Ali said social workers will also extend mental health and psychosocial support for MSU-Main Campus Marawi students, according to the PCO.

She added that families of the deceased victims will likewise be assessed to determine appropriate interventions for them from the MSSD.

The bloody explosion happened while Advent Sunday Mass was ongoing inside a gymnasium of MSU.

Earlier on Friday, law enforcement agencies announced the arrest of one suspect in the December 3 MSU bombing.