After losing their homes and some even losing loved ones, and now left with no choice but to stay in evacuation centers, 300 families affected by the flash flood in Matanog, caused by Typhoon Carina last July, warmly received emergency shelter kits distributed by the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development, the Housing Arm of BARMM, and the Catholic Relief Services or CRS on September 4-5, 2024.
With the cooperation of the Local Government Unit (LGU), the joint team successfully conducted proper registration of the beneficiaries, orientation on the contents of the kit and how to use them correctly, and the actual distribution to families in need at the evacuation tents on the municipal grounds.
Each family with totally damaged or completely destroyed houses received plastic tarpaulin measuring 4×6 meters with a hammer, nails, four 4-meter ropes, steel tape, and also non-food items or essential household items including three blankets, a sleeping mat, a flashlight, 5 sets of dining utensils, and a cooking pot.
Each group consisting of five beneficiary families also received tools for building or repairing houses such as shovel, saw, and crowbar.
Mayor Zohria S. Bansil-Guro expressed her gratitude to MHSD, BARMM, and CRS for their response and significant assistance to those affected by the flood who are in dire need.
“Since the flooding occurred, you have not left us. We know that from the violence of many years ago, we are once again tested by the disaster brought by natural calamity this year; we deeply feel your compassion for Matanog,” Mayor Guro said.
On the other hand, Director Salem C. Demuna of the Operations and Management Services of MHSD advised the beneficiaries to mention astagfirullah for forgiveness, alhamdulillah for blessings and to the leaders always ready to help, bismillah for blessings, and in shaa Allah for the upcoming aid and blessings.
Valerino Villarta, Program Officer for Emergency Response of CRS, expressed his gratitude to MHSD and LGU for their collaboration as partners.
According to him, the shelter kits were funded by USAID and their distribution aims to help families become comfortable again, rebuild their lives, and continue their day-to-day activities.
In an interview by MHSD with Abdulrahman Bitol, one of the beneficiaries and a father of three children who died in the flood, he bravely recounted what happened the night their house was washed away by the flood and the tragedy they faced.
“After almost a month of staying here in the evacuation center in the municipality, our need for a permanent home intensifies and our suffering needs to be eased,” Mr. Abdulrahman expressed.
As an initial response to this, Provincial Director (PD) Noroden S. Abdullah of MHSD-Maguindanao stated that the team from MHSD and CRS is in full force to show their determination to continue providing assistance.
“In fact, all 300 beneficiaries have been properly validated and listed, and this will be part of the proposal to be submitted by the Ministry to the shelter cluster of the BARMM government led by MHSD, to be funded for building decent houses for the flood victims,” PD Abdullah shared.
The group first distributed shelter kits in the town of Parang after a series of thorough validations in the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.
According to Mursidier A. Sajili, Housing and Homesite Regulation Officer IV of the Housing and Human Settlements Division (HHSD), prior to the distribution, they coordinated with the LGU for the list of affected individuals, validation and cross-validation of these, registration, and posting of the list in the communities for people to see and check if they were included.
The team will continue the process in the towns of Datu Piang, Maguindanao, Kapatagan and Balabagan in Lanao del Sur, and in the Ligawasan municipalities in the Special Geographic Area (SGA), expecting to distribute a total of 1300 kits.