AN OPEN LETTER: How are the Marawi Siege Missing Persons now?

HON. EDUARDO ANO

Secretary 

DILG

RE: MARAWI MISSING PERSONS CLUSTER UNDER DILG

Dear Sir,

Greetings, Assalam in this Holy Season of Hajj for Muslim pilgrims !

UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement remind the protection of evacuees.

15 months after the Marawi siege, we rescuers continue the lonely journey of reuniting missing persons with their loved ones. Horror stories of hearing ghosts in the MAA or Ground Zero are real for fellow rescuers who assisted in the Kambisita (Visitation) to Ground Zero last March. With fears on unresolved incidents of missing women over the past months, several meetings have been convened by CSOs, RHRC Lanao del Sur and PNP /Kazalimbago on the missing and dead which need actions from the State.

Taskforce Bangon Marawi (TFBM) under then DND Usec. YANO had activated the MD Cluster.

We urge revitalisation of DILG actions on Missing and Dead (MD) as started by your office since the May siege. We have endorsed resolutions on protecting the rights of evacuees i.e. missing persons to Assec Austere Panadero and as updated to us by Robin Lim in an IDEALS workshop on MD almost 7 months ago.

We also furnish you minutes from UNHCR hosted meetings on Protection Cluster as we encourage reporting, sharing of information on actions done on MISSING PERSONS.

We have asked as in previous communication and letters. Has TFBM activated and FUNDED THE MISSING MD CLUSTER? Under which agency and what systems, information mechanisms are in place.

As resources are limited for CSOs like us to interview, facilitate actions ( i.e. transport of) on missing persons, we urge your office to endorse a MEMORANDUM to TFBM to activate the Missing, Dead Persons Cluster.

So far, we have assisted the Army for the past year and since the siege, DNA testing anew is set on August care of Miss Marygold JANE PEREZ who insists on logistical support for her to continue to the work on reuniting loved ones through genetic matching with SOCO. ACTION POINTS in the Protection Cluster regularly convened here in Iligan City by UNHCR include need to activate Inter-Agency Action on Trafficking of Persons, validation etc as passed in two meetings convened by Kazalimbago RRT.

We also request to please forward such appeal to PNP ARMM RDO as highway management is urgent too. For easy coordination with National, may we ask for a focal person on this.

Sincerely

SAMIRA GUTOC

Advisor , MSAB Member, Fort Bonifacio

Kazalimbago Movement Chairperson

RANAO RESCUE TEAM, Marawi City

(Posted August 19, 2018 at FB)