Friday, October 24, 2008

63 internally displaced families in Barangay Paiton returned home

ILIGAN CITY (Oct 24 2008). Pakigdait Incorporated facilitated the safe return of sixty three (63) families from the evacuation centre of the Madrasah in Ceanuri Subdivision, Iligan City to their home in Brgy. Paiton, Municipality of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte.

The sixty three (63) families had been under the custody of Ustadz AbdulKarim Ambor since after the August 18 MILF attack in Kauswagan and Kolambugan.

“It’s about time for the families to go back home and continue with their lives”, said Ambor during the coordination meetings.

The initiative was coordinated with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte, duly supported by the AFP’s 104th Infantry Brigade under the leadership of Col. Benito L. de Leon through the Capt. Alonto T. Maamo, Civil Military Operations Officer (CMO) of the 1st Infantry Division.

Over the last couple of weeks, these families had been expressing their wishes to go back home and get back to normal living. But the AFP had to assess the feasibility of the areas for safety and security before they finally gave clearance for the evacuees to go back home in a coordination meeting held at the Ceanuri evacuation centre on October 20, 2008.

“There is no place like home”, was heartily expressed by one evacuee as they started to ride the military trucks to bring them home. A convoy of four (4) military trucks serviced the sixty (63) families in going back home.

The convoy also paid a courtesy visit to the Municipal Mayor of Kauswagan, Hon. Yasser Samporna at the Municipal Hall followed by a distribution of relief assistance to the families by the MSWDO and Pakigdait.

The Chairwoman of Brgy. Paiton, Hon. Monaida A. Mactamok, warmly welcome the convoy in the Poblacion where she expressed gratitude to Pakigdait, the MSWDO, and the AFP for assisting her people in coming home.

“It was truly a hopeful realisation to see the civil society, the government and the military establishment cooperate in such initiative, for the people”, she expressed with so much enthusiasm and gratitude.

The initiative is a component activity of the Humanitarian Assistance Project in response to the impact of the conflict and displacement in Lanao del Norte. The Humanitarian Assistance Projects is jointly implemented by the Pakigdait and EcoWEB in partnership with the Diocese of Iligan through the support of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD-UK).