Looters, limited supplies make life more difficult for Cotabato evacuees

Evacuees in flood-ravaged Cotabato City on Wednesday complained of looting and lack of supplies in evacuation centers. Abdul Nazer Muson, an evacuee at the Cotabato City Pilot Central School, said most of them suffer uncomfortable sleeping conditions due to lack of mats and blankets. “Sa ngayon may problema lang po sa amin yung pagtulog. Nasa ibabaw kami ng semento. Kailangan talaga ng suporta," he said in an interview over GMA News’ “News To Go." Some of the evacuees even sleep on the ground due to lack of space in classrooms and covered courts, GMA News’ Steve Dailisan said in the same report. Muson expressed concerns over the properties he left in his house due to the rising flood waters and incidents of looting. “Sa ngayon hindi naming matiyak kung pagbalik namin sa barangay namin kung may matitira pa. Pataas nang pataas ang tubig," he said.

Nora Dianal, city social welfare development officer, assured the evacuees that security measures are in place to protect them and their belongings inside and outside the evacuation centers. “May mga tanod po kami rito at saka mga pulis. Sabi kanina may nakapasok daw na hindi kilala, pero binabantayan naman nila ‘yung mga pumapasok," she said in a separate interview. She likewise appealed for help for the over 2,000 families who left their homes due to the floods. “Yung mga may kaya, pwede siguro natin pagbigyan itong mga nasalanta. Yung may mga kumot, kahit mga karton man lamang pansamantala," Dianal said. More than 43,000 persons have already been affected by the steady rise of floodwaters in Cotabato City, the National Disaster Rick Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said. The flooding is blamed on the piling up of huge volumes of water hyacinths at a portion of the Rio Grande de Mindanao, blocking the flow of the river. Workers from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), assisted by local volunteers, are already removing the water hyacinths, although the agency admitted that it may take a month for the river to be completely cleared of the plants. — KBK, GMA News