ZAMBOANGA CITY, (PNA) -– The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has so far released P82.5 million worth of assistance to the thousands of families displaced by the standoff that entered the 17th day Wednesday.
The standoff started last September 9 when hundreds of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels infiltrated this city.
DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman in a statement Wednesday said that the total number of affected families still stands at 23,794 comprising of 118,819 individuals housed in 33 evacuation centers.
She said that some 11,979 families comprising 71,265 individuals, which is equivalent to 72 percent of the total number of evacuees, are housed at the Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex.
Soliman said they have divided the sports complex into four zones with a designated camp management team to ensure the orderly management and relief distribution.
She ensured the continuous distribution of food packs to families outside the evacuation centers through the City Social Welfare and Development District Office (CSWDO) headed by Evelyn Las Marias.
Those outside the evacuation centers are families displaced by the standoff and have sought refuge with their relatives.