By
Dominic I. Sanchez
ZAMBOANGA
CITY - Internally-displaced persons (IDPs) who wish to
remain at the evacuation centers will not be forced to move to the temporary
resettlement site in Tulungatung, an official from the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) here clarified.
Assistant
Regional Director Riduan P. Hadjimuddin said that false information has been
circulating earlier regarding the decision of some of the IDPs who wish to stay
at the evacuation centers. According to these claims, IDPs who will not move to
Tulungatung together with the over five hundred families starting today will
not be given relief food and water anymore at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial
Sports Complex, or the Grandstand evacuation center.
“There
has been no such inconsiderate directive,” said Director Hadjimuddin. “We
cannot just force people to move to the relocation sites, although many of them
really want to move to the bunkhouses when they were brought to see the area a
few weeks ago.”
Hadjimuddin
explained that services for the IDPs are now moving from relief to recovery and
rehabilitation. “They (the IDPs) are given a ‘pabaon’,” he said, which refers
to several kilos of rice, canned goods and other food stuff. “We will also
assist them in determining the best livelihood option to help them start over.”
“The
reality is that government is running low on resources, and the affected
families cannot forever be dependent on relief,” he added.
In
effect, relief to recovery means lesser relief distribution and more emphasis
on livelihood interventions.
City
Information Officer Sheila Covarrubias said that the transfer of about five
hundred eager families from the Grandstand to Tulungatung has begun today. These
families have earlier volunteered to be transferred.
Social
Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman earlier emphasized that “better and
more resilient homes will be built” for the affected families.
Mayor
Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, on the other hand, said that permanent shelters
would be realized within one year. The
city government in coordination with the UP Planades, DPWH, DSWD and other
agencies has been planning out the construction of these permanent shelters,
and that construction will commence as soon as the budget is already prepared
by the national government. (PIA9)