Tandag City – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Caraga, through the regional staff stationed in Surigao del Sur, provided family food packs to the 366 displaced families or 1,805 persons who evacuated on September 1, 2015 at 9 o’clock in the evening due to threats allegedly inflicted by a certain armed groups.

Family food packs, which cost Php418.32 each or Php153,097.00.80 in toto, were distributed  on September 2, 2015  to the displaced families currently housed at Surigao del Sur Sports Complex, Tandag City.

Each family food pack distributed contains six (6) kilos of rice, eight (8) pieces of noodles, eight (8) canned goods, and eight (8) pieces 3-in-1 coffee.

Initial reports disclosed that these people are mostly IPs, some non-IPs, and are residents from Kilometer 16- Hanayan, Brgy.Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur. Another information bared that they were threatened to be massacred if they fail to leave the area within two days.

There were also displaced families coming from the municipalities of Tago and San Agustin who evacuated on September 2, 2015 at 12 o’clock  in the afternoon.

At 5 o’clock in the afternoon of September 3, 2015, some 85 families or 434 individuals from Brgy. Bolhoon in the municipality of San Miguel also evacuated to Tandag City.

As of reporting time, a total of 469 families or 2,269 individuals are currently accommodated at SurSur Sports Complex, Tandag City.

Thesa Joy Musa, SurSur SWAD team leader, said that the provincial government already provided food commodities like assorted bread and noodles for the evacuees.

“A Welfare Desk is already put up by the PLGU to assist the Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs),” she said.

Musa added that water was also provided by the PLGU through the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). Other agencies such as Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Red Cross, provincial Health Office, and municipal local government units (MLGUs) also extended help to the families.

Lovelyn Mae Neis, DSWD Disaster Risk Reduction and Response Operations Unit (DRRROU) head, also shared that that the provincial peace and order council (PPOC) have already conducted a meeting on September 2, 2015 to address the issue related to the reported armed conflict which caused the evacuation of the local communities in the mentioned areas.

“Our SWAD team leader, as well as our Municipal Action Teams (MATs), is coordinating with the offices of provincial/municipal social welfare and development (P/MSWD) and the disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) for updating on the status of the IDPs,” assured Neis. ###(Social Marketing Unit/DSWD Field Office Caraga)