By SAMMY JULIAN
Manila News Bureau Chief
MANILA – The European Union (EU) has decided to increase its assistance to the victims of the Zamboanga City siege last year by P14.8 million (€250,000).
This brings the total humanitarian assistance provided by the EU to P32.56 million (€550,000).
According to EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, the decision to provide further assistance to the displaced is based on a recent assessment mission to Zamboanga City.
“We found that eight months after the crisis, some 3,800 families are still living in very difficult conditions,” said Ledoux. “Our assistance aims at helping at least 1,500 of the most vulnerable people and providing relief until the authorities can provide a more permanent solution for the displaced.”
He said this additional funding is being made available through the European Union’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) for a project to be implemented by a consortium of aid organizations led by the Spanish non-government organization Acción Contra el Hambre (ACF-Spain) and including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and PLAN-International.
Ledoux said the main objective of the six-month project will be to de-congest the overcrowded emergency centers by assisting in the transfer of 300 families to transitional sites where they will receive material to build new shelters.
In addition, the consortium will improve access to water and introduce a sanitation and hygiene program.
The threat of water-borne diseases will be addressed through the construction of more sanitation facilities and the de-sludging of septic tanks,” said Ledoux.
Proper hygiene and sanitation practices will also be promoted among the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) through the establishment of water and sanitation committees.
Moreover, he said, acute malnutrition treatment will be provided to children under five years as well as pregnant and lactating women to reduce the relatively high malnutrition rates.
According to local authorities, some 40 percent of the IDPs are children, 9,000 of whom have no access to regular schooling and thus making them susceptible to abuse, neglect and violence.
Furthermore, Ledoux said, the project will establish youth-friendly spaces and raise awareness amongst the IDPs of the dangers of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and minors.
The Zamboanga City siege started on September 9, 2013 when a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) seized hostages.
This armed incursion was met by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), which sought to free the hostages and expel the MNLF from the city.
The ensuing clashes lasted for more than two weeks and left some 45 dead and over 100,000 people displaced in Zamboanga City.
The fighting also resulted in a fire which swept through a densely populated area of Zamboanga City destroying some 10,000 homes./PN
