COTABATO CITY -- A total of 8,895 families or 44,475 individuals have so far returned home to nine villages declared safe and secured by military authorities in Marawi City.
An update from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao – Humanitarian Emergency Assistance Response Team (ARMM-HEART) as of Monday indicated the breakdown of returning evacuees per barangay as follows: Basak Malutlut (1,312 families), Matampay (1,252 families), Panggao Saduc (1,581 families), and Datu Saber (1,390 families). In addition, evacuees also returned to the villages of Tampilong (900 families), East Basak (688 families), Marawi Poblacion (815 families), Luksadatu (530 families), and Barrio Green (427 families).
“The Marawi social welfare office is currently assisting the returning evacuees,” Myrna Jocelyn Henry, ARMM-HEART media coordinator, said.
She said it is expected that more Marawi residents are eager to return home now that the five-month battle by government forces to retake the city from the hands of ISIS-inspired terrorists has ended.
The city of Marawi has some 210,000 residents, according to data provided by ARMM-HEART. (PNA)
