By Noemi B. Edaga
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Movements of all
residents here are restricted from eight
in the evening tonight until five in the morning tomorrow. This is so, as the
City imposes a curfew to all residents.
To serve the needs of the Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs),
medical and frontline personnel are the only individuals who are exempted from
observing the curfew hours. Mediamen are also exempted, as long as they were
able to obtain a media pass from the city hall.
With the imposition of curfew, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary, Mar Roxas urged residents to stay in their homes
and to help lessen movements in the city thoroughfares. He assured the
Zamboangueños that the government is doing everything to contain the situation
and prioritize the safety of the residents.
Meanwhile, city health officer, Dr. Rodel Agbulos
early tonight urged restaurant and bakery owners as well as caterers to donate
food and water. Over a 100 patients of the Zamboanga Medical Center (ZCMC) who were temporarily transferred at the
Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) Gym for safety are in dire need of
these basic stuff.
Similarly, the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD-IX) Sec. Dinky
Soliman, ordered DSWD office here to ensure the fast delivery of food packs to
conflict-affected evacuees.
With this tall order, DSWD-9 invited volunteers to
augment the food-packaging workforce and to assist the managing of the humanitarian
services to IPDs who are now taking shelter at the WMSU gym. (nbe)