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50 families flee S. Kudarat town due to clan war

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- At least 50 families from three remote communities in Lake Sebu town in South Cotabato have evacuated due to a conflict involving warring clans in neighboring Palimbang town, Sultan Kudarat.

Milagros Lorca, head of the South Cotabato-Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said Tuesday the evacuees are residents of Barangay Ned in Lake Sebu town, which is located on the boundary of Sultan Kudarat province.

Lorca said the evacuation started on Good Friday (April 19) as tensions rose due to a "rido" or clan war in Barangay Molon, Palimbang.

"They feared that the conflict might escalate and spread to their area," Lorca told reporters in an interview.

Citing a report from the Lake Sebu Municipal DRRM Office, she said a total of 205 families in three sitios were affected by the conflict but only 50 families or around 260 individuals have so far evacuated.

She said the evacuees are currently taking temporary shelter at the barangay gymnasium in Ned proper.

The Lake Sebu MDRRMO is currently conducting Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis regarding the situation, she said.

But Lorca said the barangay council of Ned has provided initial relief assistance to the affected residents.

The official said they have already coordinated with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Region 12 because the local government could not release relief assistance due to the election ban.

"Our hands are tied right now but the DSWD is authorized to render assistance in times like this," she said.

Lorca said a team from the PDRRMO will visit Barangay Ned on Wednesday, April 24, to determine the other needs of the affected families. (PNA)

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