Military planes/boats to transport relief goods for Marawi displaced persons

By Jong Cadion

ZAMBOANGA CITY (May 31, 2017) - On the 7th day of crisis in Marawi City, local government units and other sectors of society also took heed to the growing number of displaced persons in the different evacuation centers and shelters by sending relief goods and other forms of aid.

Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) Information Officer Cpt Jo-Ann D. Petinglay disclosed that the Zamboanga City Government was among the first of the Local Government Units to contact Western Mindanao Command for the possibility of transporting relief goods donated by Zamboanguenos to Marawi city displaced persons who are in about 24 evacuation centers.

Cpt. Petinglay said that a Navy boat ferry the 300 sacks of rice, 55 cartons of sardines and 50 cartons of noodles yesterday (May 30). The relief goods were turned-over by Mayor Beng Climaco of Zamboanga to WestMinCom through the Chief of the Unified Command Staff, Colonel Reyeg and the Unified Command Staff for Civil Military Operations, U7 Lieutenant Colonel Joel Mamon at Camp Navarro, 8pm Monday night (May 29).

"In behalf of the People of Zamboanga, we are turning over these relief goods to WestMinCom to be transported for the people of Marawi," says Mayor Beng Climaco of Zamboanga City.

"It was our decision to immediately send help on the first day the conflict broke out because we can feel and understand what the people of Marawi are going through."

"We have also been in the same experience some years ago (referring to the Zamboanga siege in 2013), and we know it is never easy," she adds.

The truckload of goods were brought at the Navy headquarters on Monday night (May 29), to be loaded by soldiers on a navy vessel that is set to sail today for Iligan.

"The travel would take about 22 hours from Zamboanga to Iligan," says Lieutenant General Carlito G Galvez, Jr, Commander of the Western Mindanao Command. "We expect these goods to arrive by Wednesday noon time."

"CEOs of big companies from Manila have also contacted me expressing their intention of sending a C130 load of relief goods for Marawi IDPs."

"We are more than willing to be of assistance as long as it is for the good of humanity," the WestMinCom chief adds.

"We will also assess which evacuation centers have not received enough relief goods so that we can also balance the distribution, of course this will be done with the help of the government agencies concerned."