The strong coordination of local and national government agencies continue in preparation for the early recovery of the war-torn Islamic City of Marawi.

Last week, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo who also serves as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) vice chairperson for disaster response presided over the second meeting for the early recovery of the areas affected by the ongoing Marawi armed conflict at the NDRRMC Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) in Iligan City.

During the meeting, the establishment of transitional shelters was discussed and other related plans were presented by the DSWD, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Marawi City local government unit (LGU) led by its mayor,  Atty. Majul U. Gandamra, Local Water District, National Electrification Administration (NEA), and Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Lasureco).

Likewise, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) presented their proposals for the resumption of classes, the establishment of temporary learning spaces, and immediate repair of damaged classrooms.

The Department of Health (DOH) also led the discussion on the establishment of temporary health facilities and the immediate repair of hospitals.

Aside from the establishment of facilities for the early recovery of the city, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) shared their measures on the price monitoring and availability of goods and possible livelihood assistance for the affected residents.

“The people of Marawi need all the help they can get so they can cope with the many, many difficulties and deprivations they are suffering now. Government agencies are coordinating continuously to ensure that all government assistance and services reach the displaced citizens of Marawi, but we are still encountering many problems. Our own field staff are the first ones to admit this even as they work non-stop to help those in the evacuation centers and the IDPs who are home-based. We need to increase our system efficiency and strengthen our capabilities to reach out to the thousands who have not yet received aid from the government. In the meantime, we are very grateful to all  the help being given to the IDPs by various private organizations and citizens. Their compassion is most commendable, and so is their determination to assist the most vulnerable among the IDPs — namely children, senior citizens, and those with disabilities. For the sake of the IDPs, we hope that we can work harder, faster, and more efficiently so we can serve more of them,” said Sec. Taguiwalo.

Meanwhile, recognizing the need for an effective data management for the efficient delivery of services to displaced families, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) sent volunteers to encode basic information on the Disaster Assistance Family Access Card (DAFAC) of affected families to easily keep track of the services provided to them until the early recovery phase.

The volunteers are now stationed at the DSWD-Field Office (FO) XII Operations Center in Iligan City where they are being guided by data managers from the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), a division of the Disaster Response Assistance and Management Bureau (DReAMB) of the DSWD.  ###