From poorest areas springs generosity in aid

GOVERNMENT workers and volunteers in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao repack mats for survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

COTABATO CITY—Maguindanao might be one of the country’s poorest provinces but its generosity appears to be boundless.

On Wednesday, the provincial government sent anew two truckloads of rice and other relief to victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

Dr. Tahir Sulaik, Maguindanao health chief who heads the relief mission, said the provincial government also sent counseling experts from the Maguindanao health office.

Humanitarian groups said the trauma experienced by typhoon survivors needed to be addressed by experts.

Sulaik said the second mission was intended for the town of Marabut in Eastern Samar.

He said the health office of Maguindanao decided to attend to the needs of some 50,000 displaced residents of Marabut.

“It’s our commitment to provide relief in times of emergency because our mandate is to save lives, and doing the job has no boundaries,” Sulaik said.

Maguindanao, which has a poverty incidence of nearly 60 percent based on government data, was among the first provinces that rushed to the aid of Yolanda victims.

“We may be poor but we will always strive to help those in need,” Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu said.

He said it did not matter if the amount of relief that the province was giving was lower than those being given by other provinces.

“It does not matter if it is only 1 kilo of rice as long as it came from the heart,” Mangudadatu said.

The government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said it also sent relief to Tolosa, Leyte.

Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr., ARMM health secretary, said the regional government has decided to adopt the town of Tolosa in Leyte and Tuesday’s relief mission was the fourth the ARMM sent so far.

Like Maguindanao, its component province, ARMM is constantly on top of the list of poorest areas in the country.

The National Statistical Coordination Board said that while 22 out of every 100 families nationwide are considered poor, the number of poor families in ARMM is more than twice.

“When you are poor, you understand what your fellow poor people go through,” ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman said. Charlie Señase and Allan Nawal, Inquirer Mindanao