Gov’t struggling to feed growing number of Zamboanga evacuees

More than 62 thousand evacuees affected by gunbattle between government forces and MNLF rebels crowd the evacuation center in Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex, Zamboanga City.
EDWIN BACASMAS

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — With the end of the conflict between government troops and Moro National Liberation Front forces still unsure, government is now having problems on how to feed the number of displaced persons that increases by the day.

To claim their meals prepared by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the evacuees, some 44,000 of them at the Sport Complex, have to stand in line for at least two hours.

Food rations usually consist of rice, eggs and canned goods.

Narrabelle Bue, public information officer of the DSWD regional office, said there is enough supply of food and water for the evacuees.

“Our problem is with the preparation. It is not easy to prepare for 44,000 people,” Bue said.

“We have tapped local catering services to provide food,” Bue said. At least three caterers and the canteen staff of the Western Mindanao State University are now part of the team tasked to prepare food packs.

The DSWD kitchen and hired caterers can produce 40,000 food packs per meal while the local government committed to provide 12,000 food packs.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has also committed to provide 10,000 food packs every dinner, Bue said.

The agency is also tapping parent leaders from the Pantawid Pamilya Program who are in the evacuation centers to beef up the manpower in their kitchens.

“They will be hired under the cash-for-work program so that they will also have a source on income,” Bue said.

Bue said DSWD spent P825,000 for its food preparation for last Sunday’s lunch and dinner.

Attempts to allow residents to cook their own food failed because many of the evacuees have no cooking utensils. Besides, using fire to cook food might also destroy the rubberized tracks of the sports complex.

But Bue said they are also optimistic that they will eventually work it out to allow residents to independently prepare their own food.

The DSWD also established a camp coordinating system per village last Sunday to ensure order in the evacuation centers.

Camp coordinators and workers were identified per village who are tasked to assess and report the needs and situation of the evacuees.

A help desk for residents whose houses were razed was also created to allow them to already list their names for initial assessment for their grant for housing assistance.

Cradling her 3-day-old baby, evacuee Radzhata Asbi said it was not easy to bring a baby to the world during wartime.

She narrated that they were in their home in Santa Catalina last Monday when the firefight erupted.

“Everyone panicked. My instinct was to get my 5-year-old and 3-year-old kids,” Asbi said.

Asbi walked with her husband and kids for two hours from their home to the evacuation center.

At around 1 a.m. on Thursday, Asbi said she felt a different pain in her stomach.

“I knew I am about to give birth. My husband immediately sought the help of the police who immediately called for an ambulance,” Asbi said.

She said she was first brought at the emergency room of the Western Mindanao Medical Center but was turned down because the hospital was already full.

“We then went to Bolong (Health Center) where a doctor immediately assisted us,” said Asbi.

After two hours, Asbi gave birth to a healthy boy whom they named Radimar.

“The health center gave us diapers and a set of baby clothes. But right now we do not have any diapers or other set of clothes for Radimar. He has not even taken a bath since Thursday because we do not have soap,” Asbi shared.

But the DSWD assured that they are already looking at the needs of Asbi and her baby.

Bue said a women and children-friendly center, including a day care center, was created and is now based at the center of the sports complex to address the special needs of mothers and their children.

“There are some mothers who are not open to breastfeed in public and they can use this center to breast-feed their babies,” Bue said.

To provide a space for those who wanted to pray, two prayer rooms were constructed in the evacuation center.

Despite its small space, the Muslim evacuees are grateful that they have a space for them to pray.

But Ismael Amalain, a resident of Sta Barbara, said he is hoping that a bigger space will be given for the prayer room to accommodate more people.

Both prayer rooms can only accommodate not more than 60 people.

The DSWD said it will also provide a sound system that may be used for the prayers.