The Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) distributes relief assistance to victims of calamities in the Provinces of Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato from July 8-12, 2024. (Photo courtesy of MSSD)
COTABATO CITY—A total of 959 families in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato received relief assistance from the Bangsamoro Government’s Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) on July 8–12, 2024.
The beneficiaries in the Bangsamoro Communities Outside BARMM (BCOBAR), specifically in Esperanza, Isulan, and Lambayong in Sultan Kudarat, and Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, included the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) community, indigenous peoples (IPs), internally displaced persons (IDPs), and farmers.
These families were affected by this year’s El Niño phenomenon and the recent Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).
The provided goods included one sack of rice, sardines, tuna, and instant coffee, distributed under the MSSD’s Disaster Response and Management Division’s (DRMD) Emergency Relief Assistance (ERA) program.
The ERA program provides vital support to Bangsamoro communities impacted by natural or human-induced disasters.
“This intervention aims to support the Bangsamoro people in BCOBAR during times of crisis by meeting their daily needs and extending the programs and services of the Bangsamoro Government,” MSSD posted on its Facebook page.
Jeneffer Bautista, Barangay Captain of Villamor in Sultan Kudarat, expressed gratitude for the benefits received from the Bangsamoro office.
“It is a huge help in our barangay to receive goods like these,” Bautista said.
Under Section 12, Article VI of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), the regional government, in coordination with local government units where other Bangsamoro communities are located, and the appropriate national government agencies, shall provide assistance to enhance their economic, social, and cultural development.
As part of her ministry’s mandate, MSSD Minister Atty. Raissa Jajurie reassured that the they will continue its initiatives for the victims of the catastrophes and address their immediate needs subsequently.
Boosting the responsiveness and timeliness of social protection services to mitigate vulnerability to disasters is the seventh priority agenda of Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim. (Johamin Inok/BIO with reports from MSSD)
