From haven to hell

More than a month after the official end to the Zamboanga City crisis, the hardships of the civilians displaced by the battles who are now living in evacuation centers continue. Actually, they may even be getting worse. Many are becoming ill because of the congestion and less than ideal living conditions in the centers. This also includes sanitation. Deaths have already been reported, mostly very young children. The DSWD records ten deaths, while another agency has a tally of fifteen. They may not have been killed by bullets or bombs, but are still killed by the troubles caused by Nur Misuari and his terrorists.

It is never really healthy to jam-pack hundreds, even thousands of people in a confined space. Illness and disease travels very fast in situations like this. The very young and the very old usually are the first to fall. From the simple cases like allergies, cough and colds, to the more serious infections of the respiratory tract such as pneumonia and tuberculosis. And because of the poor nutrition and sanitation, diarrhea becomes a full-blown killer if dehydration isn't corrected in the very young. Just how many restrooms are there to service all the evacuees? Definitely not enough. Let's not even talk about if they are even being cleaned out. What started out as a haven for those affected by the battles has turned into hell.

The evacuation centers really need to be decongested as soon as possible, starting with those families with very young children. Another temporary shelter must be available for them, especially for those who no longer have homes to go back to. Many homes were burned during the fighting, some bombed out. Others have been ransacked by the terrorists when they were holding ground. They may have lost the battle, but their actions continue to adversely affect many civilians. All the more reason to see to it that Nur Misuari and his minions should be caught, tried and punished for their actions. If he can be located, that is.

The government has to act on the plight of the evacuees as fast as it can. It will require a tremendous amount of money. At a time when public funds amounting to the billions is being discussed, debated, fought over, defended, stolen and criticized, I'm sure many in Zamboanga are wondering why the government cannot seem to fully aid them at a time when they need it the most.