Mandaue City, group pour aid to Marawi

FORTUNA

THE Mandaue City government confirmed that it will extend assistance to embattled Marawi City due to the ongoing exodus of its residents to neighboring areas like Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City.

“There’s a humanitarian crisis right now in Marawi City. As part of our brotherhood among cities, the city is willing to extend financial assistance, probably around P100,000,” Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna told reporters yesterday.

Fortuna said there is still no need to put the entire Visayas region under martial law. He said authorities assured there is no security threat in Mandaue City or in any area of Metro Cebu.

Mandaue City officials led by Mayor Luigi Quisumbing and Fortuna met with the Central Command and the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) last week.

“Terrorism only thrives if the community supports this group of terrorists or bandits,” Fortuna said. He cited the recent Abu Sayyaf incursion in Inabanga town, Bohol province that ended with all of its members killed by soldiers.

“They were easily flushed out because the community assisted and supported the peace and order efforts of the province, finally leading to the extermination of these terrorists,” Fortuna said.

Glenn Soco, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), said he will support the government’s decision on martial law.

“If the government really wishes to declare martial law as a means of really keeping these possibilities away, or making it as a proactive measure to preserve our peace and order, then we stand by our government’s decision,” he said.

Soco said while there are reports of cancellations of bookings in hotels and resorts, there is “generally no negative effect” brought by the Marawi City siege to business in Mandaue City.

He said based on his talks with officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the National Economic Development Authority (Neda), the problem in Mindanao and even the botched terror attack in Bohol didn’t affect the economy.

These “noises,” he said, cannot affect the “very stable” economy of the country right now.

“Apparently, they have already factored in these noises as they say. And how stable our economy is? It’s very stable because the fundamentals have already been established, that our country is really poised to grow,” Soco said.

Donations also continued to pour in steadily at the Tabang Sibilyan Visayas Operations for Marawi victims yesterday.

The latest donors were parishioners of Sto. Niño Catholic Church from Sta. Fe town, Bantayan Island. Fr. Roy Bucag, the parish priest of Sto. Niño Catholic Church, personally handed P9,370 yesterday to the volunteers.

“These came from the special collection of our three Masses yesterday (Sunday),” he told Cebu Daily News.

Aside from the financial aid, their parish will hold a Holy Hour from 8 p.m to 9 p.m on June 1 as well as dawn rosary and Mass on June 3 to pray for peace.

“Our parishioners continue to pray for them. We pray for peace especially for our brother priest Fr. Chito (Suganob) and others who are affected,” Fr. Bucag said.

Fr. Suganob and others are hostages of the Maute fighting group who went inside the Cathedral of St. Mary last week./Reporter Jose Santino S. Bunachita with Correspondent Michelle Joy L. Padayhag