By Nonoy Lacson
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Armed Forces of the Philippines - Western Mindanao Command (AFP-WesMinCom) has conducted sorties of C130 and C295 aircrafts were flown to deliver relief goods for the Sulu fire victims in Jolo, Sulu.
AFP-WesMinCom spokesman Army Lt. Col. Gerry M Besana said different organizations from all over the country coordinated with the AFP to transport goods and help distribute them to the estimated 30,000 people fire victims.
Besana said the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao through its ARMM HEART immediately sent by C295 plane from Cotabato City 200 sacks of 50 kilos rice, 600 boxes of sardines, 1,020 local sleeping mats (banig), and other personal items a day after the fire broke out in Sulu that left families homeless.
GMA Kapuso Foundation also donated 80 sacks of 50 kilos rice, 80 boxes of sardines, and 139 boxes of noodles on Thursday, Besana said.
AFP chief of staff General Carlito G Galvez said: “The AFP in coordination with DSWD and other concerned agencies is currently doing its best to be able to help in all ways possible.”
“Currently, we are in close coordination with other stakeholders who have already expressed their intention to help and donate,” Galvez added.
According to Besana the AFP Joint Task Force Sulu is also directly involved in the different disaster responses organized by the regional government of ARMM and the provincial government of Sulu by facilitating and supporting distribution of relief, conduct of feeding programs and medical assistance activities, clearing of affected areas and rescue operations.
Initial investigation of the Bureau of Fire indicates that the conflagration that started at 2:45 p.m. on July 24, was caused by overloaded electrical wirings.
The fire razed about 2,000 houses mostly made of light materials from two barangays in Jolo, Barangay Walled City, and Barangay Busbus, and left 20,278 persons homeless with 27 million of total estimated damages and in Lambayong in Indanan, Sulu that also displaced about 10,000 people.