COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said it is donating all the proceeds from its food festival to the victims of a recent conflagration in Sulu’s Jolo town that left about 30,000 residents homeless.
The food festival showcased the culinary delights of the Bangsamoro and catered to thousands of visitors. It was held on July 27 and raised over P400,000.
A huge fire razed about 5,200 homes from the villages of Walled City and Busbus on July 24. Authorities said the blaze broke out in Busbus and quickly spread to the adjacent Walled City.
The ARMM’s Humanitarian Emergency Action Response Team that serves as its emergency operation center immediately delivered assistance to the fire victims and some P5-million worth of food, clothes, prayer garments and kitchen essentials were provided to the displaced families now in temporary shelters.
A day after the fire incident, ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman immediately visited the areas and led the distribution of relief assistance. “The regional government is continuously monitoring and providing aid to the victims,” Gov. Hataman said.
Executive Director Amilbahar Mawallil of the Bureau of Public Information, who also visited Sulu after the incident said: “From the air, the sight of these razed villages was heart breaking. There was almost nothing left. These 30,000 people have lost their homes, and some of these are school-age children.”
He noted that the Tausugs, especially those in Jolo, have had very bad experiences with fire particularly during the infamous Burning of Jolo in 1974. “We survived that calamity, and we will keep working to help these barangays in Jolo survive this one,” he said.
About 400 students who were displaced by the fire were given psychological first aid by the Department of Education-ARMM while some 1,615 victims under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the two affected barangays will receive cash grants from the Department of Social Welfare and Development-ARMM.
The DSWD-ARMM regional and provincial personnel, Presidential Management Staff and Joint Task Force-Sulu are streamlining the process in the delivery of cash assistance from the Office of the President. (Bureau of Public Information)
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