Pinoys urged: Write letters of support to soldiers

MANILA, Philippines - Support your soldiers, send them notes of encouragement.

The Philippine Army is urging people who want to help soldiers fighting the terrorist Maute group in Marawi to write to the troops to boost their morale.

In partnership with local non-government organizations (NGOs), the Army has launched a relief program not only for residents displaced by the ongoing conflict but also for security forces fighting to restore normalcy in Marawi after Maute terrorists attacked the city on May 23.

Through the program called #OgopMarawi, which means Help Marawi, the military is giving ordinary Filipinos the chance to send words of encouragement to government troops.

Under its Project Shoebox component, donors could fill up an empty shoebox with two pairs of black socks for use in combat boots, a t-shirt, a face towel, a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, shaver, alcohol and bath soap.

But more than that, those donating basic survival needs are urged to write a short personal message on a piece of paper.

The words written therein would help “boost the morale of the soldier who will receive the box” in Marawi City where the battle against the terrorist organization is still raging.

Army chief Maj. Gen. Roberto Arevalo said some boxes of relief goods, clothes, hygiene kits and school supplies have already been given to them for distribution by partner NGOs.

The groups helping in the project include the Junior Chamber International San Juan Dambana Chapter, the Civil Military Operations Group (CMOG), and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA). 

#OgopMarawi is accepting donations in kind or in cash for its three sub-programs: disaster relief drive for displaced families, educational and community support for children through the Start Up project, and moral support and care packages for soldiers through Project Shoebox.

The Army said participants of the #OgopMarawi may send their donations to the drop off stations at the Logistics Support Group, Army Support Command and CMOG, all of the Philippine Army in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City and at Strata Views, 306 P. Guevarra St., San Juan City.

Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo yesterday said that the government should first address the social injustices to put an end to violent extremism in Mindanao. 

CBCPNews quoted Quevedo as saying, “Government has to address the economic and political roots of terrorism. These issues demand long term engagement.” 

Quevedo believes that military intervention alone would not put an end to terrorism because there are several poor provinces in Mindanao and the root cause of terrorism in the region is underdevelopment, government neglect and poor governance.

Marawi City is the capital of Lanao del Sur, one of the poorest provinces and now the center of fighting between the Maute group and the Armed Forces.

Data from the 2015 Family Income and Expenditure Survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that poverty in the province worsened in the past decade.

From just 44 percent in 2006, data showed that the poverty rate in Lanao del Sur (population one million) rose dramatically to 74.3 percent in 2015.

Saying the roots of terrorism also include biases and prejudices between Muslims and Christians, the cardinal urged for more interreligious dialogue to help end all forms of fundamentalism and terrorism.

He said it’s not just something optional but interreligious dialogue is what the country badly needs amidst the ongoing fighting between security forces and terrorist gunmen in Marawi. 

Marawi students in Pangasinan

At least 12 students displaced by the fighting in Marawi City were able to enroll at Urdaneta 1 Central School in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan.

School principal Robert Tababa told The STAR yesterday that the students were enrolled from Grades 1 to 5 and were accepted despite the lack of required credentials like birth certificates and report cards.

He said the children have relatives residing in Urdaneta City who helped them enroll in the city. The children’s parents, however, went back to Marawi City, he said.

Tababa has observed that the 12 transferees from Marawi speak fluent Filipino so they would not have a hard time communicating with their classmates.

He added that their teachers are properly oriented to teach students to have good relationship with their classmates.

“You cannot deny them enrollment,” he said.

Tababa said there is a Department of Education (DepEd) policy to accept students with no credentials in case a calamity, whether man-made or natural, struck their place, like fire, earthquake or war.

Tababa said they interviewed the transferees and asked their names, schools they came from and their grade levels prior to accepting them. 

He said they would ask for their credentials after a few months and if they could not produce them, these could be traced through the Learners’ Information System of DepEd.

Some of them could not easily remember the name of their new school apparently because their minds are still confused, Tababa said.

“They have easily adjusted here. They have good relationship with their classmates and teachers,” he said.

As of yesterday, more than 7,000 students displaced from Marawi have enrolled in other schools, mostly in nearby Iligan City and other municipalities in Lanao del Sur.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones denied reports that some teachers were abducted by Maute terrorists in Marawi City.

Briones said teachers and DepEd employees were among those who evacuated during the fighting in the city.

“With the opening of classes in Marawi still pending, not all teachers have reported to the division. Being unable to report, however, does not mean that they have gone missing,” she said.

Marjuni Maddi, assistant secretary of DepEd in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said they are still trying to track down around 200 teachers and non-teaching personnel who have yet to report to their superiors.

He said a majority of the more than 2,000 employees affected by the ongoing conflict have already been tracked down.

“The probability is high that the teachers that have yet to report are also dispersed in the various regions to get away from the violence. We are not aware of any teacher being held hostage at this time,” added Briones.

Maddi said the teachers would continue receiving their salaries even as classes in Marawi and eight nearby districts have yet to start.

Briones said classes would remain suspended in Marawi City and the eight districts in Lanao del Sur as the military offensive against the Maute terrorist group in the city is still ongoing.

DepEd initially set the reopening of classes on June 19.

Briones said a special Brigada Eskwela would be conducted in Marawi City once the military gives clearance for government agencies to start the assessment and rebuilding of the damaged infrastructure.

At least seven schools sustained damage due to fire and bombs since the conflict began on May 23. – With Evelyn Macairan, Janvic Mateo, Eva Visperas