EC allots additional P330 M to assist displaced persons in Mindanao

The European Commission has earmarked an additional P330 million or €5 million to assist internally-displaced persons (IDPs) in conflict-stricken Mindanao. The new funding aims to reaffirm the organization's commitment to help the victims of natural and man-made disasters in the country, EU Ambassador to the Philippines Alistair Macdonald said. "The new assistance will continue our help to the IDP with food, shelter, and basic health care," Macdonald said. The money will also be used to assist the displaced persons rebuild their homes, re-establish livelihoods, and create psycho-social activities for displaced children who rarely attend school. The areas covered under the grant include Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, and Lanao del Norte. More than 100,000 people remain homeless due to the clash between government troops and rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest secessionist organization in the country, in 2008. The firefight ensued after both sides failed to sign the contested Memorandum of Understanding on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) which would have established a Bansamoro Juridical Entity as the governing body in Bangsamoro homeland. Despite the setback, the government and the MILF peace negotiating panels are reviving peace talks. Formal negotiations resumed last month. Up to date, the EU has provided Mindanao a total of P1.13 billion or of €17.5 million in humanitarian and rehabilitation assistance. This was on top of the P1.26 billion that the organization donated to victims of tropical storms Ondoy and Pepeng last year. The funding will be implemented by international organizations and non-governmental organizations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, and specialized United Nations agencies, in close coordination with concerned government agencies. - Aie Balagtas See, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV