Despite continuous evacuees from Marawi, Red Cross says there is no humanitarian crisis

May 31, 2017

Thirty-eight evacuation centers are holding more than 28,000 displaced families due to  the battle between the Philippine military against the Islamic State-linked Maute Terror Group in Marawi City, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday. Despite the continuous stream of evacuees for one week, Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, deputy head of delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross said: “There is no humanitarian crisis but there is a great concern especially for the people that are trapped in Marawi”. After more than one week, 129 people have been killed in Marawi, 19 of them were civilians, 89 terrorists, and 21 government troopers. Saugeron said if the battle between the government forces and the Maute Group worsens, the ICRC will observe the situation before calling it a humanitarian crisis. He said ICRC’c top priority are people trapped in the battleground without food water and electricity and cannot afford a vehicle to evacuate. “Circumstances are dire for those who are left behind in Marawi City, They have limited access to food, water and healthcare and face serious danger to their lives as fighting enters its ninth day,” said the Red Cross in its update. Tomoko Matsuzawa of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Cotabato, told Daily Manila Shimbun in a phone interview, the military’s projection that Marawi City will be cleared on June 1 or 2 is unlikely  as there is still gunfire between military and the armed group. Matsuzawa said cooperation of government units is not working well in Marawi since the city is in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao  and Illigan is under Region 10. She said there is a delay in the humanitarian aid response since the government started the humanitarian aid three days after the fight. Most displaced families in Saguiaran evacuated with kids and each family has an average of 7-8 children, she said. Matsuzawa said she does not think children at the evacuation centers can go to school this coming June. Lany dela Cruz of the International Committee Red Cross in Iligan said the 38 evacuation centers are in Lanao Del Norte, Lanao Del Sur and Iligan City. Myrna Jo Henry, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao- Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team information officer said in a phone interview with the Daily Manila Shimbun, there are 140,155 evacuees. Marawi City’s population is around 200,000. Dela Cruz said there are 2294 individuals trapped in Marawi. She said the distribution of relief goods, household, and hygiene items in Saguiaran evacuation center, the biggest such facility, is completed. “The distribution of food, household and hygiene items for 1,500 displaced families (around 7,500 people) in Saguiaran evacuation center, Lanao del Sur, together with the Philippine Red Cross is completed”, Dela Cruz said. She said ICRC is assessing other evacuation centers. Saugeron said ICRC has prepositioned medical supplies for 30,000 people in Iligan to address the evacuees’ basic health needs. He said ICRC helped in the safe evacuation of 500 individuals trapped in the city and provided body bags for the retrieval of eight bodies. Gloria Balboa of the health department’s emergencies and disaster bureau said the DOH has identified Baloi Provincial Hospital in Lanao del Norte, Kolambugan Provincial Hospital in Lanao del Norte, Iligan Medical Hospital, Mercy Community Hospital in Lanao del Norte, Gregorio T. Lluch Memorial Hospital Iligan City, Adventist Medical Center, Manticao Provincial Hospital and other hospitals to assist Amai Pakpak Hospital in treating the victims. She said PhilHealth will pay the services for victims of the Marawi violence whether they are a member or not. Saugeron said ICRC and Armed Forces of the Philippines agree to respect humanitarian law is at its “highest level”. “Two days after the declaration of martial law the Department of Defense and Armed Forces of the Philippines committed themselves with the assurance that they will try to carry out their mission with due respect for the rule of law and respect the civilian population”, he said. Saugeron said ICRC is trying to monitor the arrested members of the Maute Group to assure they are treated humanly. He said ICRC is trying to communicate with the armed group to respect the International humanitarian law. (Alanna Ambi/DMS)