On 22 May 2019, Community and Family Services International (CFSI), through the Mindanao Protection Project (MPP), facilitated the field visit of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Country Representative Mr. Shinji Kubo and UNHCR Mindanao Head of Office Mr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab. The objective of the visit was to further assess the situation of conflict-affected Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Pamalian, a barangay in the Municipality of Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Province of Maguindanao.
In 2018, as an MPP beneficiary community, Brgy. Pamalian begain to receive various protection services, including capacity building activities, protection profiling, and farm machineries under the Quick Impact Project (QIP). However, on 09 March 2019, tensions between the Philippine Military forces and non-state actors caused the repeated and protracted displacement of residents in the barangay.
At present, the affected families are still staying in three (3) evacuation sites located in Barangay Dapiawan in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Barangay Libutan, Mamasapano and Barangay Tapikan, Shariff Aguak. This is due to the limited access imposed by the Philippine military in the affected areas in the SPMS Box wherein Barangay Pamalian is located in the middle of the conflict.
More than 100 IDPs from Barangay Pamalian participated in the field visit of UNHCR and CFSI where they were engaged in open discussions. The IDPs expressed their gratitude for the visit, sharing that it was a first for their barangay to receive visitors since the eruption of the conflict. They further shared that assistance for their community has been limited and that economic survival is extremely challenging. They expressed concerns for the safety of their household heads, comprising primarily of males, who brave the risks of being caught in the middle of a firefight or artillery shelling just to attend to their farms during daytime and return to the evacuation sites before dusk.
Because of the security situation in Brgy. Pamalian, the IDPs are hesitant to return to their former residences. Despite this, they remain resilient in coping with their situation. They are hopeful for any support that may be provided for them. It is in this regard that UNHCR and CFSI agreed to assist the IDPs through the provision of Core Relief Items (CRI) under the MPP on 29 May 2019 in selected distribution points in the area.
The MPP aims to address the immediate protection needs of people affected by armed conflict and facilitates the rapid integration and rehabilitation of IDPs and returnees in Central and Northern Mindanao, and island provinces through the implementation of QIPs and protection monitoring trainings. The CRI aims to contribute to the protection of persons forcibly displaced due to armed conflict and other forms of violence, prioritizing women, children, and persons with special needs in order to prevent deterioration of their physical wellbeing and high exposure to protection risks and violation of their rights.
