Sulu gives more aid to Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Sulu province continued its relief effort Friday, extending additional P1-million and tons of relief goods to help this city recover following the attempt of a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front to takeover the city on Sept. 9.

This as Sulu 1st district Representative Tupay Loong continued to push for the additional P2-billion rehabilitation budget to be taken from the  more than P14-billion general supplemental budget to expedite  the rehabilitation efforts in the affected areas of the siege.

Hadja Nurunihsa Tan, chairperson of the Sulu Provincial Women’s Council (SPWMC), and the group's members, personally turned over the check and cash amounting to P1 million that came from the donation of Sulu residents. Tan is te wife of Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan.

Tan and her group also turned over six truck-loads of assorted relief goods.

Tan said the relief and financial assistance was a follow-up of their first assistance extended to the city when they visited here at the height of the standoff.

“Zamboanga City is the second home for us where most of our residents are doing business, study, and even stay here. When we have disaster and calamity that struck our province it was this city who first appeared and assisted us also. So, walang makakahigit pa sa nagtutulungan para makaahon tayo agad,” Tan told newsmen here.

Tan said the relief and cash assistance were donated by  residents, even street vendors,  of Sulu province.

City Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said the city was grateful for the gesture of the Sulu residents, the least area expected to come into the aid of the city despite having their own problem.

“They were with us at the height of the siege and they are with us in the recovery phase. We are forever grateful for the generosity of our brothers and sisters from Sulu,” Salazar said.

Meanwhile, Loong met with Salazar to iron out his proposal that sought additional P2 billion that will be sourced from the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

The city government also continued Friday the transfer of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to transitory sites as the city stepped up the early recovery activities to ensure the affected families can stand of their own.

Sheila Covarrubias, public information chief, said additional 303 IDP-families are set to be transferred to the transitory sites from the congested main evacuation center of the sports complex.