174,000 still in Maguindanao evacuation centers (tags)
174,000 still in Maguindanao evacuation centers Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 00:15:00 12/22/2009 Filed Under: rebellion, Armed conflict, Evacuation(General) DATU PIANG, Maguindanao—Johana Maluba, 24, is not sure if she could be back to her home to give birth before the end of the month. The mother of four is one of the 174,370 persons or 38,874 families referred to by humanitarian agencies as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maguindanao. The IDPs are scattered around the 103 evacuation centers. They fled their homes when fighting between government soldiers and Moro Islamic Liberation Front forces broke out August last year. It was not clear, however, how many evacuated following the Nov. 23 massacre of 57 civilians, including 31 journalists, in Ampatuan town, allegedly led by Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. The incident led to the weeklong imposition of martial law in the province. Some of the evacuees, those who fled their homes in Shariff Aguak after the massacre, are living with relatives, while others have set up camps in nearby towns. For the evacuees, it is safer to be away from home. “I am afraid to go back to our own house because we might get caught in crossfire,” Maluba said as she waited in line for the relief goods being distributed by the Act for Peace, a humanitarian organization. Diosita Andot, chair of Act for Peace, said their main intervention for the Maguindanao evacuees remains focused on “early recovery and rehabilitation program.” She said several core shelters have been constructed for families whose houses were razed in last year’s fighting. Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Secretary Jesus Dureza, who also joined the distribution of relief assistance, tried to convince evacuees to go home. “It is now safe to go back to your own homes,” he told them. But Dureza said not all could be given a house and that the relief assistance “is just temporary and you cannot be given every day, so it’s a must that you go home and start making a living.” Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, chief of the Military’s Eastern Mindanao Command, assured the evacuees that the police and military would respect the ceasefire with the MILF. “We will work to restore your normal lives,” he said.