Helping Marawi

The sheer volume and flurry of online posts for and against the imposition of martial law in Mindanao overshadowed other equally urgent issues such as extending assistance to those in Marawi City which had been under siege in the past few days.

While gunfire and explosions continue to batter the city and the body count rises each passing day, civilians like Gloria Poloyapoy donate what they have for the dislocated families and the families fleeing Marawi City.

Poloyapoy may not have any families in Mindanao especially in Marawi City, but having worked in government at Bukidnon province for three years, she knows the fears and anxiety felt by those whose safety is being threatened by terrorist violence.

Cebuano generosity and hospitality are in full evidence during every crisis; and the momentous, coordinated efforts staged by the church, the private sector and civil society were instrumental in providing relief assistance to families displaced by Super Typhoon Yolanda in northern Cebu and Tacloban City and other parts of Leyte province in 2013.

While militant student groups stage rallies against the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, students like Jamil Faisal Adiong, a native of Marawi City who serves in Cebu City’s Anti-Discrimination Commission, is busy helping raise funds for the families and contacting those stranded in the city through the “Tabang Sibilyan Visayas Operations” based at the Cebu Caritas building.

Again, Marawi City had been mostly emptied of its 200,000-strong population who found refuge in nearby Iligan City and are said to be moving to Cagayan de Oro as well.

The regional Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) had not discounted the possibility of those families moving into Cebu City and other areas of Metro Cebu due to the presence of Muslim relatives there.

Though constant monitoring is crucial even as the siege continues, Metro Cebu local governments may want to extend assistance not only in giving shelter to these families but also by contributing whatever they can spare to the families and in the eventual rebuilding efforts of the city.

It’s not just for political brownie points for those wishing to run for higher office; it’s also about helping the families find their way back home. We are sure that a lot of them, if not all, don’t want to become a burden to their hosts and would want to return to their homes the soonest possible time.

While the offensive is ongoing, relief and rescue is of paramount importance, and the neighboring local governments in Mindanao need all the help they can receive to house the families.

Aside from a united community, terrorists also cannot hope to stand against stakeholders determined to help those victimized by their violence. No matter how much they try in vain to do so, they cannot destroy a people’s will to overcome them.