108 children arrive in Tawi-Tawi

TAWI-TAWI, Philippines – A one-day old baby was among 108 children returnees from Sabah who arrived in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi on Tuesday night, March 19.

Norisa Sayron Asadah, 35, gave birth to the baby girl in Taganak on Monday. She is identified in the passenger manifest as “Baby girl Asadah.”

Norisa is originally from Jolo, Sulu. Aboard Coast Guard’s BRP Edsa Dos, they temporarily docked in Bongao to drop off some 75 Tawi-Tawi residents.

Children comprised almost half of the total 233 Filipino returnees from Sabah that the Philippine Coast Guard fetched in Taganak, an island near Sandakan. There were 125 adults, said DSWD provincial director Hania Aliakbar.

They were fetched by BRP Edsa Dos, the vessel assigned by the Coast Guard to assist the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in assisting returnees.  

After dropping off 75 returnees in Bongao Tuesday night, BRP Edsa Dos proceeded to Jolo, Sulu. It arrived there Wednesday morning. From there, the ship will proceed to Zamboanga City.

Based on Rappler estimates, about 3,000 returnees have been processed by the DSWD since standoff in Sabah between Malaysian security forces and followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who are staking the claim of the Sultanate of Sulu over the disputed territory.

The department acknowledged that not all returnees may have been processed.

As of Tuesday night, another group of returnees from Sabah are in Taganak, according to the DSWD. – Rappler.com