MARAWI SIEGE CRISIS: THE PLIGHT OF THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE

The heartland of  crisis, ground zero.

The elderly, children and mothers are the most affected IDPs.

Dr. Wei Teen,  a Singaporean doctor who has a heart for the IDPs  volunteered her services and  resources.

In war there is victory, but no winner only victims! After 100 days since the beginning of the siege in Marawi, the only Islamic city in the Philippines, the action in the ground still going on.  Cadavers  on both sides and  of those caught in between are still awaiting for  burial and proper identifications,  the hype of helping the internally displaced people is  already waning but  in the City of Iligan in Lanao de Norte is still a scene of  cornucopia of characters   coming  from the distress  ground zero, in the market place and other commercial centers  it is a common sight to see men in uniform hurriedly buying supplies, hotels  became lairs of the media hungry for coverage to sensationalize and exclusive coverage, INGOs and local NGOs  cramming to bring help on whatever they think  the IDPs need. Meanwhile most of the government offices in Marawi are now in Iligan renting or occupying a space   for them to do their tasked, unfortunately, the services they can render is limited for they are also IDP’s.

Ash, is an IDP  volunteered to help IDPs.

Thousands of evacuees are randomly scattered all over the periphery of. the ground zero   that spilled over to Iligan City and neighbouring places. However, IDPs are also classified in groups, one is IDP’s who stayed in the designated areas and received a regular supplies or relief either from the government welfare agencies or from private sectors twice a week and most of them are issued with green cards while the others IDPs are classified as home based as they stayed with their friends or relatives but they are the most vulnerable ones and most likely the neglected one. However, I observed in most IDP areas, only women and children are there except for some especially those who stayed in the Evacuation Centers (ECs) the presence of men was evident.

Unidentified cadavers after DNA extraction are readied for mass burial with the aid of  local volunteers.

Nobody expect that the siege will become longer as of most of the IDPs and the locals of Marawi were already use to in - fighting in the area that it will last only for few days or week but the current one already dragged to months. It is a buzz that the crisis will be over, but the stress and the trauma that it causes to the IPDs will linger for years or maybe throughout their lifetime.

In West Pantar in the outskirt of Lanao del Norte along the route to Marawi, we visited a group of IDP’s.  As they lead us to the area where thy start to garden, the war planes and helicopters hover us, as they talked of the when they can go back to their homes and how to rebuild it, and for some there is no home anymore for them to go back. But all of them worry about their income to sustain their living. So, the IDP’s bonded themselves to start gardening but they face challenges too, they have limited tools and no capital to start with aside from the meager resources that they have. But even if they start gardening now hoping that it will help them earned a living, they worry about their day to day existence until their garden start producing.

Arriving at the command center in  Marawi

Home based IDPs living in the garage

In one area, the IDP’s   airs out how they were exploited by greedy individuals who formed groups or by local NGO’s who capitalize them only to get funds and   relief goods only to find out it is a bogus one, that only a certain group can have the funds and divide among themselves but not the IDP’s that they front in getting the funds. Whatta a perk! Thanks for the SAVE MYSELF AND MY FAMILY FOUNDATION! Ask those NGOs where is there community, they cannot bring you to the site instead show you a very grand office and full of staff who are all familial affiliated.

Children, the most vulnerable IDPs.

On the other end, the IDP’s cannot get relief or help or very little only due to logistic reasons over security, they were trapped inside the war zone.

 

A special thanks to Marawi CDRRM local volunteers who assured safety and order during the relief and medical  mission.  Special mentioned  to Revi and  Hanifi Sani.

Our multipurpose vehicle. clinic, if space and location is not available to render services, then we have it.

While visiting EC’s, it looks like a competition of brand, INGOs and local NGO’s have it each own section, deliver what they believed that the IDP’s need only to find out how the IDP’s can use it.  Some facilities though temporary cannot be use.  One of the IDP’s complained, “how can we used the LPG tanks when we cannot afford to buy the gas, we have no money? We are evacuees, we do not have source of income”.

Some also distribute relief or provide   psychosocial support but without considering the cultural context of the IDP’s. It should be taken into consideration also in the delivery of free services. Relief providers complained that the IDP’s sells their supplies, how can we blamed them when they will be given a box of sardines every week and a low-quality rice. Relief givers said that the IDP’s should be grateful that they were given but still complained about it. Come to think of it, if you will eat the same thing all throughout if you too will not complain, I guess there should be variety. On a comedic note, I asked an IDP why complained they complained that they were already given a corned beef?  “Nah, the corned beef is colored red sir” the IDP relplied. It is naturally colored red since it is a meat, I countered. Nah, sir the ‘chorizo” is red, so I am afraid eating that corned beef.

Though there is an effort especially among the government agencies and private entities, there is need to beef up the communication to identify specifically the intervention to be delivered and needed and in sharing the available resources.

The IDPs are victims, there are of things we must consider when we deliver help and services, do they really need it, is cultural context considered, and how can we help in rebuilding and integrating them back to the mainstream communities? As they say, people's first,  the IDPs knows their concern, the solution to it but they need help for the resources, let us listen and  and  offer  our helping hands and our shoulders for them to lean  in rebuilding their lives and their dreams.