A Cebu-based group launched “Tabang Sibilyan Visayas Operations,” a relief effort to send aid to Marawi City. The group is based at the Cebu Caritas building beside the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and is accepting donations of food, water, clothing, etc.
Jamil Faisal Adiong was deeply saddened when he learned about the clash between government forces and the Maute Group in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, his home province.
“Right now, I’m speechless. As much as I wanted to go there (Marawi), dili madala,” he told Cebu Daily News.
He said he has friends and relatives in Marawi and is anxious about their welfare.
Because he could not personally go to Marawi and help them, he organized a relief operation manned by Cebu-based volunteers to send aid to Marawi. The relief effort is called Tabang Sibilyan Visayas Operations.
“This is a two-in-one cause. We need volunteers for repacking goods and for hotlines who can answer calls in coordinating with the public in locating their relatives in the affected areas,” said Adiong.
Adiong is the current commissioner of Cebu City’s Anti-Discrimination Commission. He is in Cebu City to study Political Science at the University of San Carlos. He posted on his Facebook account that he was looking for volunteers for relief operations for Marawi.
As of yesterday, there were only 10 volunteers.
Interested volunteers can proceed to Cebu Caritas Bldg., Gomez St., Cebu City near Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.
They are accepting donations in the form of water, food packs (halal), raw materials for a community kitchen, hygiene kits and clothing.
“We coordinated with the local government and provincial government of the ARMM and identified the immediate needs of the victims,” he told CDN.
Those who want to locate their friends and relatives in Marawi City can call these hotlines: 09267516615 (Donna), 09177088660 – (Hendy), 09565214082 (Joana) 09089001678 (Jamil), 09176079818 (Pairo), 09162082849 ( Haneen) and 09238569729 (Ron).
Adiong explained that they established a data base system for the stranded residents and those reportedly missing.
So far, they received 200 calls since Thursday coming from Manila, Palawan and Cebu.
“We will get the information like names, addresses and contact numbers. We are coordinating with the government in ARMM and even with civilians who have knowledge of the whereabouts of these people who are being located by their relatives,” he said.
Adiong is urging more people to join them especially those who are proficient with data base and Excel.
“Please delete all posts and refrain from sharing information on location of residents stranded in Marawi City. We appreciate your intention to help but please do not compromise their security,” he posted on his FB page.
‘No refugees yet in Cebu City’
So far, no refugees from Marawi have arrived in Cebu City, according to Malo B. Manonggiring, director of National Commission for Muslim Filipinos-Visayas (NCMF-Visayas).
“We continue to monitor them because it is still possible for them to come here in Cebu City because they have relatives living here,” Manonggiring told CDN.
There are around 40,000 to 45,00 Muslims in Cebu province and 20,000 in Cebu City. Manonggiring said 95 percent of them are from Marawi City.
He said it is possible that Cebu City would be their last option as they could seek refuge with other relatives in other parts of Mindanao.
Meanwhile, Leah Quintana, information officer of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-7), said that local government units (LGUs) in Cebu can open tent cities for Marawi siege victims.
She said that just like the Super Typhoon Yolanda operations, DSWD-7 can assist, especially in camp management.
DSWD-7 continued to send the remaining 3,400 food packs yesterday to Marawi.
Each food pack contained six kilos of rice, four cans of canned meat, four cans of sardines and six sachets of coffee. Each food pack costs P360.
The DSWD in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) requested 10,000 food packs from DSWD-7 last Wednesday.
The first batch of 6,600 food packs were already sent last Thursday evening.
So far, there is no request yet for non-food items. DSWD-7 has 30,000 packs of non-food items on standby in case these are needed.