Philippines: Catholic Church brings aid to Marawi evacuees

Supporting displaced people from Marawi City

The Catholic Church through the National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA)/Caritas Philippines is implementing a huge humanitarian response to the families affected by the ongoing crisis in Marawi on Mindanao Island in the Southern Philippines. According to NASSA/Caritas Philippines Executive Secretary Fr Edwin Gariguez, the response will cover the essential needs of 3,000 families or 15,000 individuals in Iligan City such as Halal food, and non-food items like hygiene kits, household items and sleeping kits.

The national Caritas will also conduct psychosocial activities, hygiene promotion awareness, emergency preparedness, and accountability trainings. “We are targeting the home-based evacuees or those staying in their relatives’ houses because our assessment showed that many were still under served. The concentration of the responses by other organisations are mostly in the evacuation centers,” Fr Gariguez explained.

NASSA/Caritas Philippines earlier launched a solidarity appeal to all 85 dioceses nationwide, and many responded. Caritas Manila also allocated significant relief assistance to those affected by the crisis in Marawi through the Diocese of Iligan Social Action Center. The crisis is now in its second month after Jihadi militants shot their way into Marawi City, and a Catholic priest and some of his parishioners are still hostages.

Latest data from the Office of the Civil Defense-National Emergency Operations Center showed a total of 102,860 families or 465,674 individuals were displaced by the armed conflict in Marawi. Of these, 4,977 families or 27,0004 individuals are staying in 85 evacuation centers while 97,883 families or 438,685 persons are home-based or staying with their relatives in eight regions.

The response, which will cover 12 communities in Iligan City, is being implemented through the newly-formed operations group comprising of religious sisters and lay volunteers of the Diocese of Iligan. NASSA/Caritas Philippines is the humanitarian, development, and advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Martial Law

Meanwhile, the Catholic bishop of the besieged city of Marawi said this week he is against the proposal to extend martial law in Mindanao. Bishop Edwin de la Pena of Marawi said military rule across the southern region of the country is a "big inconvenience" that hampers the mobility of people, commerce and the transport of goods. He said the failure of the government to end the terrorist occupation of Marawi after 60 days of martial law was a "bad signal." Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law across Mindanao following the Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack on Marawi on 23 May that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people and the displacement of up to 300,000 residents.