2 Zamboanga City banks open Sunday amid continued crisis

At least two banks in Zamboanga City are opening on Sunday to serve residents' needs amid the gun battles between government and Moro National Liberation Front forces. The city government said Saturday the Zamboanga City Bankers and Financiers Association identified the banks that will open on Sunday as Land Bank Western Mindanao State University and China Bank Savings. Since the crisis started Monday, some commercial establishments in the city, including banking, had been shut. The crisis, which entered its seventh day on Sunday, started when MNLF members took several civilians hostage, and holed-up in several barangays within Zamboanga City. Mayor Isabelle Climaco-Salazar had earlier appealed to businesses and banks to open to serve the public. On Saturday, she asked the city's residents to stay "united and strong" amid the hardships. “Our faith as a people is unshakeable. This is not an issue of religion for we have co-existed peacefully and worked harmoniously. This is an issue of people with misguided principles using arms to propel their ideology,” she said. She also thanked the business community "for helping us in providing essential services despite the very tensed situation." — DVM, GMA News