COTABATO CITY – The government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), through its flagship program Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team (HEART), has immediately extended initial assistance to families affected by the fire in Jolo town in Sulu province that destroyed some 5,200 homes.
Jo Henry, ARMM-HEART Communications Officer, said the fire started on the afternoon of July 24 and left almost 30,000 people homeless. The affected barangays are Walled City and Busbus. Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman visited the fire scene and immediately ordered the distribution of an initial 25 kilos of rice per family plus cash.
She said as of July 27, ARMM-HEART has also provided fire victims relief goods such as food, clothes, prayer garments, and kitchen essentials amounting to approximately P5 million. Henry described the fire incident as the biggest her office has responded to since its establishment.
“With the help of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, by lending us C130 cargo planes, we have responded within 12 hours since the fire started,” said Henry, adding, teams from the emergency action and response office are continuously being deployed in the area to monitor the situation on the ground.
With rice shortage currently experienced in the province, she said ARMM-HEART is coordinating with other government offices for continuing food assistance. The ARMM Liaison Office in Manila also launched “Tabang Jolo”, a drive aiming at gathering donations from civilians who want to help the victims of the fire. (Bureau of Public Information)
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