THE SITUATION OF THE MUSLIM EVACEES

By: Margie V. Lumbay

We visited the evacuation center of Talitay, Pikit, and we interviewed some Muslim evacuees about their situation and they're feeling during the time of shooting.

According to them, their situation is very hard when they stayed at the Evacuation Center because they don't have enough food to eat, some children suffered measles and some were died because they cant survived. There are some NGO's gave relief to the evacuees but that is not enough for them because a lot of evacuees who were they're at the Evacuation Center of Pikit. They would think that if there are many government soldiers were stayed in their barangay's the group of NPA's, MILF and some rebel groups the fighting will happen again.

Some individuals tell a story about what happens during the time of the Second World War. Pikit is one of the places where the Japanese soldiers stayed during World War II and they called this placed "battle field" because there is a shooting incidents were happened at that place and lot of soldiers were died after the fighting. This placed is a very wide and flat area and it's easy to go there.

Many years ago after the war, that placed were back to normal, there were many individuals, family, and people from the different places lived and stayed there long time. They lived happy and they alredy have their own lifestyle. They can raise their lives through their sacrificed in working step by step. That time, a life remains happy and everydays are very useful to them long years were passed.

And now, shooting was already happened and still going on while the militaries are still having an operation in every barangay's which is the center of firings. During shooting incidents, many individuals, families were evacuated and they go to the different places where they think they are secured. Now they lived in different small houses, many were making a dwell with a tint and lying on the ground during nighttime. Each of them, forced to lived there because they're frightened to go back to their places. Everyday, they eat their meals two times a day and sometimes they don't eat because there is no enough food for them and they prioritized their children to eat. During the interview, they told that "May there are some people who help us, and give us a food especially the rice" because even if there is no vian, what is the important is the rice for their children.

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