AID DISTRIBUTION. Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao deputy executive secretary Abdullah Cusain (center) checks the relief packs up for distribution to villages of Cotabato City on Thursday (March 26, 2020). The regional government has targeted eight villages with 16,000 family-beneficiaries in its initial relief distribution (inset) intended to cushion the impact of the health crisis brought by the coronavirus disease 2019. (Photo by Albashir Saiden – PNA Cotabato)
COTABATO CITY – Some 16,000 families from eight villages of this city deeply affected by quarantine measures being implemented to combat the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) have started receiving initial food packs and medical supplies from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Thursday.
The BARMM has included this city in their relief distribution efforts after voting “yes” for inclusion to the formation of the new Bangsamoro political entity during a plebiscite held in January 2019.
Other BARMM area components include the provinces of Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, and Lanao del Sur, the city of Lamitan, and the 63 villages in six towns of North Cotabato.
“More communities will benefit from our massive relief operation in the next few days,” BARMM deputy executive secretary Abdullah Cusain, said.
In this city, an initial number of family-beneficiaries received relief packs containing 10 kilograms of rice, seven cans of corned beef, sardines and tuna, four packs of instant noodles, and 6 packs of instant coffee.
First to receive the aid were 2,024 households of Barangay Bagua 1 here, while "the other villages will follow,” Cusain said.
To ensure social distancing, he said the relief packs are directed to the barangay chairpersons, for them to make the house-to-house distribution.
Aside from the relief packs, he said each barangay will also receive medical supplies such as two thermal scanners, face masks, gloves, personal protective equipment or Hazmat, and hygiene kits for their barangay health workers.
Later this week, more supplies are expected to arrive for constituents in other BARMM areas.
“We are also exploring an option to augment the emergency funds of all the municipalities in the BARMM, we will download additional funds directly to the local government units for them to purchase the relief goods,” Cusain said.
Only recently, the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD-BARMM) also downloaded PHP7.3 million to its provincial offices for the purchase of relief goods for quarantine-affected families. (PNA)
