MANILA, Philippines – “We will not only rebuild Zamboanga, we will also make it better.”

This was the vow made by social welfare and development secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman in a donors’ forum for Zamboanga on Thursday, October 3 in Makati City. The forum was organized by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). 

Representatives present from different government agencies, embassies, humanitarian groups and non-governmental organizations discussed how to rebuild areas of Zamboanga City destroyed by fighting between the government and members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). 

On September 9, members of an MNLF faction occupied coastal areas of the city with the intention to raise their flag in front of the City Hall. Government troops engaged them in a firefight and later surrounded the rebels in key barangays of the city. The military standoff caused the worst humanitarian crisis the city has experienced, with over 118,000 affected persons.

Read: 6 killed, 24 hurt in Zamboanga clashes

From the rubble

While the government has already allocated P3.89 billion for the rehabilitation of Zamboanga City, both Sec Soliman and Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabel Climaco agreed that more help is needed to get the city back on its feet.

Climaco said that Zamboanga City’s economy lost an estimated P331 million for each day of fighiting. 

The donors’ forum was aimed at getting the private sector and international aid agencies to support the government’s rehabilitation plan for the City and its residents.

Soliman also said the forum was aimed dispelling false claims of a DSWD fundraising program for Zamboanga City. 

“Halimbawa, may tumawag na sa akin na nagsasabi daw na ako ay nagpapa-raise ng pondo sa kanya para sa Zamboanga kahit wala kaming ginagawa na gan’on.  May mga magsasamantala,” Soliman explained.

(For example, somebody reported to me that someone has asked people to raise funds under my name. We never initiated any fund-raising activity. There are people who will exploit the situation.)

Soliman added that President Benigno S. Aquino III appointed public works and highways Secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson to develop and carry out the rehabilitation plan for Zamboanga.

Response

The international community in the Philippines expressed their support for the rehabilitation effort and promised to assist in the program.

“We would like to express our deep feelings towards the people that lost their lives during the battle,” said Luiza Carvalho, the representative from the United Nations and Resident and Humanitarians Team

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte also handed a P3 million check to Soliman. The money was sourced from a mandatory P10,000 salary deduction of each congressmen.  

“Hindi mahalaga kung gaano kalaki ang ibibigay, ang bawat ibibigay ang mahalaga,” said Soliman. (The amount of donation isn’t important. Instead, every donation is important.)

Human impact

The stand-off resulted in a total of 23,794 affected families or 118,819 affected persons.

It also affected at least 14 barangays.  As of October 3, 34 evacuation centers are operatingto cater to displaced Zamboanguenos who cannot yet return to their barangays.  

According to Climaco,136 elementary schools and 27 national high schools with the combined enrolment of 116,147 students suspended classes for more than two weeks.  

Read: The song of Zamboanga

A total of 183 hostages were either rescued, escaped or released. Two later died. One of them was Ethan, a two-year old boy who was hit in the forehead.

“For me, Ethan did not deserve to die because of people, because of the differences of whatever ideology that they believe in,” Climaco said. 

The government hopes donors will see that, beyond the statistics, there are real names and people whose lives will never be the same again. – Rappler.com