Almost a year after the Marawi Siege, some families have been able to return to their barangays during the Kambalingan that took place a few months ago, while others, particularly those who previously resided in the twenty-four (24) barangays of what is now known as the Most Affected Area (MAA), have yet to see and visit their homes. The Kambisita, which runs from 1 April to 10 May 2018, is an initiative of the Marawi City Government and Task Force Bangon Marawi that allows displaced families to visit their homes and retrieve their personal belongings from within the MAA.
For the Kambisita, part of CFSI’s work is the provision of psychosocial support for individuals or groups both outside and inside the MAA. During one of our visits to the area, I met Datu Ali. He was standing alone beside the road to enter the MAA when I approached him.
Datu Ali is the head of a family of six (6). Prior to the siege, he was a businessman running his own store in Padian and using its income to support the needs of his family. The loss of his livelihood forced he and his family to temporarily go their separate ways. His wife and their four (4) children are currently in Manila doing business while he and his youngest continue to search for livelihood opportunities within Marawi City. Datu Ali gets emotional as he shares the difficulty of living away from his family and the pain they all felt at the loss of their house, belongings, and livelihood.
In an attempt to ease his feelings, I reassured him that it was okay to feel pain, but also encouraged him to find comfort and draw strength from his family. From his sharing, I saw his children’s willingness to contribute to their family income and thus complimented him for raising them well. “Much of who they are today are because of how well you have raised them” I said. And it was at that thought that Datu Ali began to calm down, let out a smile, and express gratitude for such simple words that provided him comfort.
I met Datu Ali again the following day. This time, he proudly shared with me his take away from our conversation — the value of family. In addition, he shared that upon arriving home the previous day, he called his family in Manila to express to them how thankful he was for their family, and the fact that they were only a call away.
Datu Ali’s wife and children will join him in visiting and retrieving their belongings during their scheduled return. He looks forward to their reunion and is hopeful that they will continue to draw strength from each other as they rebuild their lives.
The encounter with Datu Ali has shown me how powerful words can be. As an individual, I may not have had the capacity to provide for Datu Ali’s material needs, but as a social worker, I had the ability to provide comfort and reassurance. And it is my hope that this reminds him to believe in people’s capacity to cope, most especially with the help of a strong social support, like that of his family’s.