THE European Union on Tuesday donated 850,000 euros or P49 million in emergency assistance to the civilians who fled the fighting between government forces and terrorists in Marawi City.
In a statement, the EU said the aid will directly benefit more than 50,000 people affected by the fighting.
“The unprecedented violence in Marawi has caused tens of thousands of families to flee, leaving everything behind,” the EU’s Pedro-Luis Royo said in a statement.
“This has triggered a sharp increase in humanitarian needs as many of the displaced people are currently deprived of fundamental means to sustain their day-to-day lives.”
Rojo made his statement even as Senator Juan Edgardo Angara called on government authorities to ensure enough medical aid and mental health services were provided the rescued civilians and displaced residents of Marawi City following reports that some 2,500 evacuees had shown early symptoms of schizophrenia
“The shattered dignity of the Maranaos is more difficult to relieve. It takes more than food or water or even shelter. It needs much more than that to be restored,” Angara said.
“Let’s aggressively address the well-being of the evacuees. It is more important to rebuild their souls than the buildings downtown.”
Meanwhile, seven trucks filled with relief goods arrived in Marawi on Tuesday for distribution to Marawi’s displaced civilians.
As the trucks pulled up inside the grounds of the municipal capitol that has been converted into an evacuation center, personnel of the International Committee of the Red Cross unloaded hundreds of boxes containing foldable jerry cans, mosquito nets, blankets, mats and kitchenware.
The relief packages were systematically distributed to the more than 2,600 families who have been displaced by the fighting.
Despite the bristling heat, the faces of the evacuees”•most of them women with children in tow”•lit up as they received the relief packs.
Rojo said the EU grant will support the delivery of immediate life-saving assistance to those most in need and contribute to the increased protection of the people affected by the conflict.
According to the latest available data, more than 400 people have been killed and more than 400, 000 others have been displaced in Marawi.
The priority concerns for those recently displaced are access to food, clean water, sanitation facilities and proper hygiene in the evacuation centers.
The EU funding which will be channeled through the commission’s European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
The aid, delivered through an ECHO partner, will focus on the provision of crucial support including food, water, health care, hygiene kits, sanitation facilities and essential household items.
The fighting broke out in Marawi when the Maute Islamist group took parts of the city on May 23.
The city has witnessed ground and air assaults including gunfire exchanges, bomb explosions and air strikes leaving large parts of the town destroyed. With Macon Ramos-Araneta and Sandy Araneta