By
Mary May A. Abellon
DIPOLOG CITY - The ongoing crisis in Zamboanga City following the violent attacks
by rogue members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)-Misuari faction has
also taken toll on neighboring towns and cities in the region.
MNLF fighters
stormed the bustling city of Zamboanga last Sept. 9, taking civilians as human
shield, prompting most establishments to close shop.
The city, which is
home to the regional offices of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM),
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), PhilHealth, Philippine National
Police, Department of Tourism (DOT), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Commission
on Higher Education (CHED), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), is now busy
taking care of evacuees which now account for more than 100 thousand.
The standoff is
causing a ripple effect on other places in the
region. Dipolog City, for instance, which is eight hours travel from Zamboanga
City has also been affected by the standoff, as certain food chains get their
supplies from Zamboanga.
City
Treasurer Sancen D. Caroro said that the release of the Internal Revenue
Allotment (IRA) to the city government might be affected since the Department
of Budget and Management would have to download the money through its regional
office in Zamboanga City.
To
avoid any delay in the payment of the salaries of its employees, the city
government has used its local income for the purpose.
“The
salaries of employees are from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) received by
the LGU as a revenue share from the national government.
It will come from the DBM in Manila and be downloaded to its regional offices. Since,
the DBM regional office is in Zamboanga City and due to the recent crisis, we
may receive it late,” Caroro said in an interview.
In
another instance, a customer of one of the food chains here said most of the
menus were not available since the ingredients have to come from Zamboanga.
On the other hand,
the scheduled Sept. 22, 2013 DOST-Science Education Institute’s 2014 undergraduate
scholarship exam on for Zamboanga City and the nearby provinces of Zamboanga
Sibugay, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi including in the cities of Dipolog and
Pagadian was postponed due to the ongoing armed conflict in Zamboanga City.
(PIA9)