CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The first batch of internally displaced persons (IDPs) temporarily living here will return to Marawi City next week.
City social welfare and development officer Teddy Sabugaa said that nine barangays in Marawi City had already been cleared by the government for residents to go back to.
There are a total of 19,464 IDPs currently living in Cagayan de Oro City, data from CSWD show.
Eight more barangays are expected to be cleared within the week, Sabugaa added.
The returning IDPs had been briefed by CSWD and local aid group Tabang Marawi Multisectoral Interfaith Convergence on what to expect upon returning and how they would cope, Sabugaa said.
Sabugaa also said that only those who had registered themselves as coming from the barangays which had been cleared are allowed to go home.
Upon arriving in Iligan City, each evacuee will receive P4,000 in cash, a hygiene and a kitchen kit courtesy of the national government.
The Army's Fourth Infantry Division will transport the IDPs up to Iligan after a ceremonial sendoff later this week. (PNA/Mark D. Francisco)
