3 more Maguindanao towns declare state of calamity

COTABATO CITY – Local officials of three more towns in Maguindanao have declared state of calamity in their respective jurisdictions due to on-going armed conflict.

The armed conflict has displaced thousands of civilians in adjoining towns of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Shariff Saydona Mustapha and Mamasapano.

On Tuesday, local legislators of have approved the separate resolutions putting their localities under state of calamity to allow the LGU to fund local relief operations to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) due to armed conflict..

Mayors Bai Zandria S. Ampatuan of Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Akmad A. Ampatuan Jr of Mamasapano and Edris Sindatok of Datu Saudi Ampatuan have approved the resolutions passed by their Sangguniang Bayan.

Armed skirmishes erupted on March 19 between government forces and ISIS inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Barangay Kitango, Datu Saudi Ampatuan (DAS), Maguindanao.

The armed hostilities also displaced some 25,000 individuals from Datu Saudi Ampatuan and nearby towns of Mamasapano and Sharif Saydona Mustapha.

The DAS resolution stated that the local government unit has Quick Response Fund amounting to P483,000 for 2021 to be used for relief aid to IDPs. DAS has 12,215 individual-evacuees while Shariff Saydona Mustapha has 1,717 or about 8,585 individuals.

Mamasapano town has 2,729 families or about 13,645 persons.

Earlier, the Talitay town council approved a resolution putting the town under state of calamity after some 700 families emptied their homes when clan war (rido) erupted on March 22.

Lt. Colonel John Paul Baldomar, 6th Infantry Division spokesperson, said the Talitay armed conflict has displaced some 700 families or 3,500 individuals. The IDPs were from Barangays Pageda and Gadingan of Talitay.

Some IDPs in the affected towns have started to return home but others remained in evacuation centers.