Group launches 2-day humanitarian mission

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

HUMAN rights advocates launched the 3rd International Humanitarian Mission in Marawi City, here in the city yesterday morning.

The International Interfaith Humanitarian Mission (IIHM 3.0) started Thursday and will end today. Led by Kalinaw Mindanao, the humanitarian mission is organized by people’s organizations Suara Bangsamoro, Moro-Christian People’s Alliance, International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, Tindeg Ranao, and Karapatan Alliance for the Advancement of Human Rights.

In its launching press conference yesterday, panelists discussed the ‘liberated’ Marawi city and its current situation where residents are still in evacuation centers and have no word of when they can return to their city.

Jerome Succor Aba of Suara Bangsamoro said the presence of the foreign human rights defenders, led by Petery Murphy, responded to the call of the thousands of Marawi siege evacuees for justice and relief.

The humanitarian delegation is concerned at the initial rehabilitation programs presented by the Philippine government that favor foreign and local investors and loaded with foreign loans. With two international lending companies—World Bank and the Asian Development Bank—taking the lead in planning the city’s reconstruction, combined with President Duterte’s Build Build Build program that promotes the Private Public Partnership relations, rehabilitation efforts are directed towards gaining profit from the war and devastation rather than to bring back Marawi residents.

Aba added that after the press conference yesterday morning they will be delivering relief goods and medicine to the evacuees still languishing in different evacuation centers in Iligan City.

“Meron kaming psychosocial intervention,  medical mission, and documentation of the reported human rights violations,” Aba told reporters.

Aba said their documentation will form part of their mission report which in turn will be basis for the ICHRP’s policy recommendations, especially in the rehabilitation of Marawi City.

The mission report will also be their basis for filing appropriate criminal charges against the Armed Forces of the Philippines and President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Ang aming i-nireklamo sa aming  una at ikalawang mission reports  ay ang perpetrator ay ang AFP,  because of martial law ang daming cases of harassment, threats, mga enforced disappearance, pati na mga extrajudicial killings perpetrated by the state,” Aba said.