ISABELA CITY, Basilan – The Peace and Development
Coordinating Committee also known as Team Basilan is bracing for the influx of
more displaced persons from Sabah (DPS) as tension in Sabah continues while
Malaysian authorities crack down on remaining followers of Philippine Sultan Jamalul Kiram III.
Team Basilan
presiding officer and provincial administrator Tahira Sansawi-Ismael told
members to brace for more arrival of displaced persons from Sabah and expect
some 10,000 to 15,000 more Basileños who might be coming home.
Anwary Akalon of
the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee (PDRRMC)
reported that as of March 31, 2013, some
441 Basileños were among the displaced
persons (about 52 families) from Sabah as recorded by the Crisis Management
Committee.
However, Akalon
said that only 228 were actually served by the respective provincial, city, and
municipal local government units. He noted that some 115 individuals may have
proceeded directly to their place of origin in the province and the rest
skipped from proceeding to the processing centers in Zamboanga City and the
provincial government in Isabela City, Basilan.
He said that since
the outbreak of the Sabah stand-off in mid-March, the PDRRMC-CMC immediately
convened and identified the site and established the processing centers in
Lamitan City District Hospital compound and the provincial Capitol auditorium.
He added that there
was also an emergency purchase of assorted relief goods—food and non-food items
and medicines worth P1.3 million, on top of the creation of the emergency
response team composed of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Department
of Social Welfare and Development and the Philippine Red Cross, among others.
Focal persons were also deployed to DSWD-9 to coordinate and assist in the
arrival of Basileños in Zamboanga ports.
All city and
municipal local government units were also alerted to prepare for the arrival
of Basileños in their areas.
Akalon reported
that upon the arrival of the 228 DPS in Basilan, they were provided and served
with food ration, hot meals, food packs, non-food items (blanket, toiletries, malong), medical services, undetermined
amount of cash assistance from the LGU, transportation to their place of
origin, and security, among others.
The PDRRMC officer
also raised concern over the limited resources and readiness of the local
government units in case of a massive return of Basileños from Sabah.
During discussions,
Team Basilan foresees a socio-economic and security impact to the province and
the LGUs, especially on the settlement areas for the DPS, if and when the Sabah
issue escalates.
Meanwhile, the
regional government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has directed
all concerned agencies to prepare emergency response and rehabilitation action
plans for the returning Filipinos from Sabah, more particularly in terms of
settlement, livelihood, and education assistance. (PIA9)
