Balo-I, Lanao del Norte – The exodus of internally displaced persons (IDP’s) from The Islamic City of Marawi, spawned by armed conflict between government security forces and followers of the terrorist Maute Group, has swelled the number of internal refugees at various evacuation centers mostly here and in Iligan City, and Cagayan de Oro City, to a record of no less than 176,920 individuals, so far.
That represents roughly 90 percent of the estimated daytime population of Marawi, leaving this Summer Capital of the South a virtual ghost town in less than a week.
The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Tuesday released this latest running count as of the morning of May 20, 2017.
In at least 38 evacuation centers at various parts of Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Misamis Oriental, the record shows there are around 79,175 individuals. Then, there’s the 97,745 other individuals who have sought refuge with relatives and friends throughout Region 10 and ARMM.
Marawi City is believed to be home to around 200,000 residents, and personnel of the Department of Social Welfare and Development suggest that there must be numerous other displaced persons who may not have been enumerated, especially in the flash of confusion and chaos during the first days of what may be called The Battle of Marawi City.
For its part, the International Committee of the Red Cross has been executing its core mission of prioritizing the most vulnerable people, such as the elderly, children, the sick and wounded, evacuating at least 300 trapped residents on May 26.
“We are barely coping with the needs of the IDPs here in Balo-i, the evacuation center in Gomampong Ali Cultural Center is the biggest here, with around 170 families or approximately 700 individuals. But we have more IDPs in six other evacuation centers in Balo-i. These are in Barangays Nangka, Maria Christina, Sarip-Alawi, Landa, Pacalundo and Matampay. Many others are staying with relatives,” said Qaharoddin Ali, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer (MDRRMO) of Balo-i.
Ali explained that, with several more IDPs arriving by the day, most of them are in need of sleeping and hygiene kits, safe drinking water and food, as well as kitchen utensils. This is because they left everything in Marawi City, fleeing to safety with not much more than the shirts on their backs.
Candida Noor, a 70-year old resident of Barangay Matampay in Marawi City, pointed out that their main problem in the evacuation center is additional assistance beyond the basic relief items.
“The relief goods are barely enough, especially when there are so many of us. We need essential items for personal needs, such as for hygiene and nutritionally adequate meals, especially for the children, like milk. Most of us are walking around barefooted,” said Noor.
The majority of the evacuees suffer from poor ventilation in most evacuation areas, which are too crowded. They fear the intense heat during the day would lead to the spread of sickness, especially among children and the elderly.
“We’ve been here four days, and no one has made an effort to help alleviate the intense heat. And then, the cold concrete floor … Many of our children, especially the infants, might catch cold and respiratory ailments,” said Abdul Karem Dikasalam, 48, who hails from Barangay Papadayan, leaving Marawi during the height of the third day of conflict, six children and his wife with him.
Many of the Maranaos in the evacuation centers pointed out that there are a lot of families with more than six children.
“I think it is part of our culture as Maranaos, having more than six children. I have 10 children and two of them are already married, with children of their own. The problem is that we are all here packed in the evacuation center, which makes it harder as we have all been cut away from our work. We have no earning,” said Kalib Galorio.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the DSWD-10 are trying their best to consolidate the IDP data, as most of the evacuees have sought refuge in Region 10 even though Marawi City is under ARMM.
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BELOW BY ERWIN MASCARIÑAS, News5 | InterAksyon