19 Family Evacuees Now Back in Marawi; 77 Still in Bohol

Nineteen families who evacuated to Bohol from Marawi City have returned home while 77 Muslim families from the war-torn city are still here.

This sums up the report of the Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (OPSWD) through Social Worker Hannah Mae Lubiano who discussed about the local Tabang sa Marawi here.

The war that broke out in Marawi since May 23 has made Bohol a host to 350 individuals comprising 103 Muslim families who sought safety in Bohol.

A little over 90,000 excluding the food and non-food items and free stress debriefings were among the help extended by Bohol to the evacuees, Lubiano said in a report to the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) last week.

This excludes the cash assistance handed to Marawi City which was personally delivered by Bohol representatives to Marawi officials a few months back.

In Bohol, after coordination with the City Social Welfare Office, municipal, barangay officials and village chiefs, the OPSWDO facilitated the evacuees’ immediate temporary settlement.

About 29 families comprising of 93 individuals were resettled at the Muslim Village here in Taloto District, Tagbilaran City while at the Muslim Village, Poblacion I, 29 families comprising 98 individuals stayed.

At the Muslim Village in Ubay, OPSWDO tracked eight more families, while at the Muslim Village in Jagna, nine families comprising 36 individuals temporarily sought shelter, while two more families decided to stay in Dauis.

As the evacuees were temporarily adopted by communities, government and private sector interventions started.

Bohol provided food, which included rice and canned goods as well as non-food items that would make the evacuees’ stay in Bohol more pleasant.

Non-food items like blankets, mosquito nets, malong, tawas, slippers for children, and clothes for babies were also handed out, Lubiano said.

All local PNP stations of Bohol donated food (like rice, canned goods, noodles, biscuits, milk, coffee) and non-food items (shampoo, toothpaste, bath soap, laundry soap, sanitary napkins, baby diapers) for the Marawi evacuees, Lubiano shared.

Even local universities such as University of Bohol and Holy Name University Community Extension provided grocery items and stress debriefing sessions to the evacuees.

As early as July, the OPSWDO conducted coordination meetings with the Health Cluster Coordinator, Provincial Health Officer, Muslim Leaders, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and City Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officers to plan interventions on the needed health support of the evacuees.

OPSWD also released financial assistance of P 19,300 to help defray various medical expenses of nine evacuees, released 4,000 cash assistance for burial expenses for the families of two evacuees who died due to lingering illness and provided wheelchair for two evacuees – for one suffering Pelvic Bone Fracture while the other from Ischemic Heart Disease.

As soon as the government declared Marawi liberated, OPSWDO released P 66,750 as transportation assistance for 19 families who decided to return to Marawi and nearby areas to be united with their families.

By November 6, the evacuees dwindled to only about 278 individuals from 77 families, according to Lubiano. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)