Zamboanga City Hall Resumes Operation

The City Hall of Zamboanga City resumed operations Monday after Mayor Beng Climaco announced that the crisis in the city was over.

Mayor Climaco said humanitarian efforts are still ongoing, and the city is currently in the phase of recovery after three weeks of hostilities between the faction followers of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder Nur Misuari and the government troops.

Climaco has ordered the Philippine flag flown at half-mast to mourn all those who died during the crisis, Gma news online reported.

On its twitter account, the Zamboanga city government posted photo of the mayor leading the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, together with top military and police officials to sing “Zamboanga Hermosa,” Zamboanga city’s anthem. Reports said local businesses also reopened on Monday under tight security.

Last Saturday, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the crisis was over, and that clearing operations would begin in some barangays in the city where the fighting between the attackers and government troops took place, Gma news online report said.

AFP Public Affairs Office Chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala has said it might take two weeks before residents of affected barangays in Zamboanga City can safely go back to their homes, following the 20-day crisis that resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives.

Moreover, Zamboanga City police said at least 18 soldiers were killed during the fighting and 167 were wounded, while five policemen were killed and 14 wounded, Gma news said.

It added that 12 civilians died while 72 were wounded during the three-week siege affecting heavily populated coastal barangays near the city center.

Online news said the TV report noted that more than 100,000 residents were affected by the crisis. Most of them lost their homes to a series of fires during the fighting.

Gma news’ radio report said the city government received help from various sectors to help a total of 71,265 people affected by the crisis.

Source: Gma news online