ICC Dispatch - Thursday, December 4, 2008

572 displaced families in Lanao del Norte to return home

Iligan City - The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 10 announced that as a result of the series of dialogues with the internally displaced persons (IDPs) housed in the town of Munai in the province of Lanao del Norte last November, at least 572 are scheduled to return to their places of origin beginning December 4.

OCD-10 Regional Director Carmelito Lupo disclosed that the four concerns taken up during the dialogues with the IDP's such as security, food, livelihood and education and were addressed right away by concerned government and private agencies involved and all is set for them to go back to their homes.

Lupo said the military troops assigned in the area gave an assurance to the IDP's that they have already secured the area, but the law enforcement operations will continue following their mandate to go after the Lawless Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Group (LMG) led by terrorist leader Abdullah Macapaar alias Bravo. (OSM - Radyo ng Bayan)


Gov’t agencies, NGOs to provide ‘pabaon’ to displaced families returning home in Lanao del Norte

Iligan City - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 10 will be giving away food packs or “pabaon” good for a month of consumption consisting of kilos of rice, noodles, canned goods and milk to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Munai town, Lanao del Norte province who are returning to their homes beginning December 4.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 10 Director and Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) Region 10 Chair Carmelito Lupo said the Ranaw Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Assistance Center, Inc. (RDRRAC), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) also contributed to the pabaon, including some toiletries and other non-food items such as sleeping mats and blankets.

For its part, the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 10 will be distributing distribute some 100 sacks of palay (rice) and corn seeds to the farmers and will coordinate with other line agencies in providing livelihood projects when the families are back to their respective homes.
Lupo said the IDP's who stayed at the school building were being will be prioritized in the return so normal classes will resume from the elementary and high school level, in answer to the earlier appeal of the Department of Education (Deped).

"This return of IDP's will be part of the early recovery program as transition period into the full blast implementation of the Rehabilitation plan of the province of Lanao del Norte as they hope to give the displaced families a normal life after three months in the evacuation centers,” said, Lupo.

Meanwhile, Governor Mohammad Khalid Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte remarked that the 400million Rehabilitation plan for the province is already under way.
However, the fund will be released once the evacuation centers are closed and the families have gone tot heir respective homes.

The Governor added that the province was heavily affected by the atrocities of the Lawless Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Group (LMG) last August 18 and it needs a full recovery program to bring normalcy to the area. (OSM - Radyo ng Bayan)