OIC delegation in Cagayan de Oro to assess storm's damage

MANILA, Philippines - A four-member delegation from the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) arrived in Cagayan de Oro on Monday to assess the damage inflicted by tropical storm “Sendong” and to look into how member-states could extend assistance to affected communities, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

Director Fuad Ali Al-Maznaee of the OIC Humanitarian Affairs Department headed the delegation.

Among the delegates was Ibrahim Abdulla al-Khuzayem, executive director of the OIC Islamic Solidarity Fund, who was received by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, also acting foreign secretary, and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director Benito Ramos.

Included in the OIC delegation are Saif Taher, director for Muslim Communities and Minorities, and Abdoulaye Kebe of the Humanitarian Affairs Department.

The mission was dispatched by OIC Secretary General Ekmelledin Ihsanoglu, who earlier called on the OIC’s 57 member-states to “help save lives and rebuild the livelihood.”

The OIC officials were briefed by the NDRRMC and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on the ongoing relief efforts and the long-term requirements of the affected communities.

DFA officials also visited the DFA Regional Consular Office in Cagayan de Oro to look into the situation of DFA employees there.

Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ezzedin Tago met with Ihsanoglu at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah last Dec. 25.

Tago conveyed to Ihsanoglu the appreciation of the Philippine government for his decision to send a humanitarian mission to the country to assess the situation.

Tago briefed the secretary general on the situation in north and central Mindanao in the aftermath of Sendong.

In a press statement released on Dec. 18 on the OIC website, Ihsanoglu conveyed his sympathies and condolences to the Filipino people after learning about the natural disaster.

The OIC secretary general made a humanitarian plea for the Philippines and “called on the international community at large, the OIC member states, their philanthropists and various NGOs to urgently extend all the vital emergency assistance to the affected people in the Philippines.”

Tago and Consul General Uriel Garibay met with the OIC Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Ambassador Atta Manan Bakhit and members of the OIC Mission that were leaving for the Philippines.

The mission includes the executive director of the Islamic Solidarity Fund and an officer from the Islamic Development Bank.

Tago and Garibay briefed the OIC mission on the situation in the disaster-stricken area, and on urgent basic needs of the typhoon affected communities. 

The OIC officials stressed that the organization is interested in providing emergency assistance and rehabilitation and development for Mindanao.

The needs assessment mission left for the Philippines in the early hours of Dec. 25 and arrived in Cagayan de Oro on Monday.

The OIC mission is set to meet with Philippine and international humanitarian agencies, including NDRRMC, DSWD, local officials and humanitarian agencies in the area.