ARMM needs aid for people displaced by flashfloods, landslides

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao government, which actively helped in the relief operations for “Yolanda”-hit areas in Eastern Visayas and “Pablo”-devastated provinces in Mindanao now faces a serious lack of funds to provide aid to its residents affected by the weather disturbance since January 10, accordig to a regional official.

Haroun Alrashid Lucman, ARMM vice governor, said the regional government’s relief assistance to victims of the Zamboanga siege “have (also) drained us of our resources.”

“There’s a need now for local government units to pitch in and pool our resources in confronting problems on disasters, despite our limitations,” he said.

At least 500 people were affected when strong waves battered villages in Sulu and Maguindanao last week.

In Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao alone, more than 1,000 people had suffered property damage from the strong waves, according to the ARMM’s civil defense office.

Pombaen Karon-Kader, ARMM assistant social welfare secretary, said the dwindling resources were also caused by “the slow response from other local government units in the region.”

She said the regional social welfare office had to take on the role of LGUs, which did not provide immediate assistance to affected areas.

“Considering the importance of `protocol’ in responding to emergencies, the vice governor, the regional disaster team come to the rescue only after local executives and other branches of government in the affected towns had acted,” Lucman said, adding that this had not been the case though.

Kader said even then, the regional government managed to provide limited relief assistance, consisting of food items, used clothing and beddings.

In Davao City, even as Southern Mindanao battled the effects of Tropical Depression “Agaton,” four brand new farm tractors once intended for Pablo-affected areas were  being transported to Yolanda-hit areas to help in clearing and land preparation for the next planting season there, Remelyn Recoter, regional director of the Department of Agriculture, said.

“It’s a sort of paying forward, a new thrust of the Department of Agriculture (DA),” she said.

Recoter said when farm rehabilitation efforts started in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental, farmers there also got aid in the form of tractors lent by other regions.

She also said that some P4 million in savings from the P315-million quick response fund for Pablo would also be reprogrammed for Yolanda-devastated areas.

In Davao Oriental, Governor Corazon Malanyaon said she could not thank Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and the Davao City council enough for the financial aid that the LPA-devastated province got.

Davao del Norte Governor Arturo Uy also said Duterte and his council also sent in similar assistance to LPA-affected areas in his province.

Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley got P2 million each in aid from the Davao City government.

“Duterte and the city council are so kind for being concerned about the suffering of the people of Davao Oriental,” Malanyaon added.

The Davao City government has been very active in sending donations to calamity victims.

During the Bohol quake and the Yolanda’s advent, it was among the first LGUs to provide assistance to disaster victims.

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