PAF delivers relief supplies for displaced Marawi residents

Air Force personnel load relief supplies for displaced residents of Marawi on Thursday, June 8, 2017. (Photo from 220th Airlift Wing of the Philippine Air Force)

Two C-130 planes under the 220th Airlift Wing of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) brought relief supplies on Thursday for the strife-affected residents of Marawi City who are housed in various evacuation centers.

In a statement, the PAF said the supplies were donated by the Du30 Cabinet Spouses Association Inc. and other private organizations.

The relief goods, ranging from food to pails, were were packed at the PAF Multipurpose Gymnasium in Villamor Air Base, Pasay City.

The mobilization to deliver the relief goods started as early as 3 a.m. to ensure completion of a number of shuttles where the minimum turn-around time was strictly observed.

“These sorties are only some of the flight missions being scheduled while other sorties using another C-130 and C-295 aircraft were dedicated to bring reinforcements to designated areas,” the PAF said. “With these relief supplies, it is hoped that it can at least alleviate the difficult living conditions of the evacuees.”

The goods were unloaded at the airports in Marawi and Iligan City.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as of June 1, more than 100,000 citizens were displaced due to the crisis in Marawi, with 86 percent staying outside evacuation centers or with relatives and friends, and the other 14 percent in 24 evacuation centers.

A June 6 update from the International Committee of the Red Cross office in Manila said up to 200,00 Marawi residents were displaced by the conflict. /atm

The supplies – ranging from food to pails – are loaded into two C-130 planes on Thursday, June 8, 2017. (Photo from the 220th Airlift Wing of the Philippine Air Force)