Philippines: Zamboanga and Basilan Emergency Situation Report No. 6 (as of 3 October 2013) This report is produced by OCHA Philippines in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It was issued by OCHA Philippines. It covers the period from 1 to 3 October 2013. The next report will be issued on or around 7 October. Highlights Heavy rains brought by a low pressure area caused flooding in Zamboanga evacuation centres. An estimated 49,000 displaced people move outside evacuation centres as government opens additional relief distribution points. Government allocates an estimated $4 million for continuing relief assistance as part of early recovery and rehabilitation plan. 170,000 Estimated affected people in Zamboanga city and Basilan province 117,316 People displaced in Zamboanga 8,105 People displaced in Basilan Source: Department of Social Welfare and Development Region IX Report No. 61 / Protection Cluster Assessment Report Issue 17 Situation Overview Intermittent heavy rains brought by a low pressure area on 1 October caused flooding in several evacuation centres in Zamboanga city including Santa Maria Elementary School which hosts over 1,400 people. The living conditions in displacement sites became more difficult as rain water entered displaced families makeshift tents and mud clogged drainage systems. With the onset of the tropical cyclone season, further flooding in low lying areas of the city is expected. The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police continue to clear unexploded ordnance (UXO) in areas of the city severely affected by fighting in previous weeks. The on-going clearing operation is expected to be completed in two weeks. Local authorities will provide further guidance to displaced families when it is safe to return to their places of origin. The Zamboanga city mayor indicated, in an online statement on 1 October, that the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council requested the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to recommend a declaration that Zamboanga be placed under a state of calamity. A total of 117,316 people remain displaced in Zamboanga (59,376 inside 35 evacuation centres and 57,940 outside the centres) compared to 118,123 displaced people (108,661 inside 38 evacuation centres and 9,462 outside the centres) on 30 September. The estimated 49,000 people who left the evacuation centres reportedly moved to host communities. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) issued color coded family access cards to track relief distributions. Displaced families in the Joaquin Enriquez Sports Complex, the largest evacuation centre, were provided with an option to continue receiving relief supplies while staying with family and friends. The offer was made in order to alleviate overcrowding. Additional food distribution points also opened for people who moved outside the centres. The sports complex, which in previous weeks hosted over 70,000 people, now accommodates an estimated 25,300 people. In Basilan province in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, 8,105 people inside 12 evacuation centres are still unable to return home due to insecurity On 3 October, the NDRRMC organized a forum in Manila to identify areas of collaboration with donor and humanitarian partners to ensure collective efforts to help alleviate the suffering of people affected by the conflict. The forum included the Secretary of DSWD, the Secretary of the Department of National Defense, the mayor of Zamboanga, the diplomatic community, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations. Out of the Government s $90 million (PHP3.89 billion) early recovery and rehabilitation plan, $4 million (PHP178.46 million) was allocated for continuing relief assistance until the end of October. The Secretary of the Department of Works and Highways is tasked by the Office of the President for the overall coordination of rehabilitation efforts. + For more information, see background on the crisis at the end of the report www.unocha.org The mission of the is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. Coordination Saves Lives
Funding Philippines Zamboanga and Basilan Emergency Situation Report No. 6 2 To date, the United States provided $680,000 for essential water, health and sanitation interventions, food and non-food items (NFIs). The Australian Government also committed $235,000 (AUD$252,000) to the emergency relief operations in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross, the World Food Programme and the United Nations Population Fund. In support of government line departments and local authorities to respond to the immediate needs of the 170,000 people affected in Zamboanga and Basilan, the Humanitarian Country Team presented a proposal on 30 September seeking $24 million to implement projects over a six month period. All humanitarian partners, including donors and recipient agencies, are encouraged to inform OCHA's Financial Tracking Service (FTS - http://fts.unocha.org) of cash and in-kind contributions by e-mailing: fts@un.org Humanitarian Response Camp Coordination and Camp Management 35 evacuation centres are still operational hosting 13,488 families (59,376 people). Around 400 families (2,000 people) originally from host communities started to enter the evacuation centres as a result of limited household supplies of host families. It is expected that the number of people who will return to the centres as the communities begin to feel the negative impact of the conflict on the economy. Due to the long queue for food distribution resulting in spoiled meal packs, displaced people are requesting cooking stoves to cook their own food. More camp managers are required to conduct beneficiary profiling. Cooking stoves and tents were distributed to the most vulnerable families in the evacuation centres. Wooden pallets installed to elevate tents flooded by rain water. Evacuation centres located on the city outskirts require equal response. Insufficient supply of non-food items, emergency shelter, and family tents in evacuation centres with poor living conditions and WASH facilities. Education Out of the 136 elementary and 27 high schools expected to resume classes, only 108 elementary schools and 19 high schools held classes. In the 108 elementary schools that conducted classes, only 96 had students attending school. Overall attendance rate is low with only 12 per cent for elementary schools and 11 percent for high schools in Zamboanga. 2,387 elementary and high school children are located in critical areas have evacuated to the Joaquin Enriquez Sports Complex. School children and teachers continue to require psychosocial services, basic learning kits, replacement teaching materials, learning tents, and rehabilitation of schools and day care centres located in the conflict zone. Seven tents provided for temporary learning and child friendly space sessions in the sports complex evacuation centre. 100 chalkboards provided by private sector partners Technical and training support for 200 volunteer teachers to help schools with displaced teachers. 19 sessions of free play, art, and thematic learning conducted for preschool and school aged children. 35 Evacuation centres in Zamboanga 12 per cent attendance rate for elementary schools in Zamboanga
Philippines Zamboanga and Basilan Emergency Situation Report No. 6 3 Areas directly affected by the conflict still in accessible. Inability to track school children who move from one evacuation centre to another. Food Security Over 117,000 displaced people in Zamboanga require food assistance. Food and nutrition assessment conducted from 28 to 2 October in Zamboanga revealed that in the next three to 12 months, at least 8,000 to 10,000 worst affected families will require sustained food assistance while rehabilitation efforts are scaled up. 18 metric tons of high energy biscuits provided since the emergency onset. The government with support from partners currently has the capacity to meet short term food requirements. Strategic plan formulated to provide: general food distribution to displaced people in evacuation centres, emergency food-for-work for 60,000 people in coordination with Livelihood Cluster activities and targeted feeding for 12,000 school children in anticipation of food assistance requirements for the worst affected people. 8,000+ worst affected families will require food assistance in the coming months The cluster requires an additional $1.4 million to address short and medium term food needs of the affected people. Insecurity prevents the determination of food needs in Basilan. The cluster is coordinating with local authorities to determine approximate requirements. Livelihood An estimated 46,000 jobs were lost or disrupted due to conflict (15,000 workers in the canning industry, 4,800 in the plywood industry, 20,000 fisher folks and 6,000 in the public sector). Offices and businesses are partially reopened. 80 per cent of canning workers returned to work; however, uncertainties remain over factories without fishing fleets. Lumber industry reopened but on limited rotation basis partly due to lack of raw material supplies. Limited operations in local industries are still having a negative effect disrupting livelihoods particularly in the service industry and those in vulnerable livelihood sectors. Livelihood strategy formulated for cash-for-work training and livelihood assistance for bunkhouse construction. Emergency livelihoods project for 1,300 beneficiaries developed. Private sector partnership agreement to employ displaced residents in local business for up to six months. 46,000 workers livelihood lost or disrupted Prevailing insecurity continues to impede opportunities to provide alternative livelihood or the resumption of key industry operations. Longer term livelihood strategies needed. Protection Reported violations of International Humanitarian Law. Verification and response to reported grave child rights violations. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) outside the evacuation centres including indigenous communities and religious minorities receive less humanitarian assistance.
Philippines Zamboanga and Basilan Emergency Situation Report No. 6 4 High risk of gender-based violence (GBV), including trafficking to areas beyond Zamboanga, as evacuation centres are congested, lack of female police officers, lack of partitions, lack of privacy; well-lit, segregated, and lockable latrines and bathing facilities needed. Significant numbers of children are distressed. Presence of UXOs in civilian areas. No land or property titles for many IDPs whose houses were burned down. Reported detention of Muslims accused of being Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fighters. Reported child combatants detained along with adults. Many children have lost legal documents (e.g. birth certificates and school records). Need to identify and document unaccompanied children or those separated children from their families. Reported gang formation among minors in evacuation centres. Protection assessment and monitoring including child protection conducted regularly. Displacement profiling and collection of disaggregated data on-going. On-going mine and UXO assessment being conducted. Information disseminated on mine awareness. Protection field monitoring team deployed in evacuation centres with high concentration of displaced people. Minor MNLF detainees provided support. On-going investigation on the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. Women friendly space established at the sports complex while Women and Children Protection Unit Team organized at Zamboanga City Medical Center. GBV cluster activated. Psychosocial interventions reached 2,506 children and 1,566 adults. On-going implementation of child protection activities. Low supply of protection kits as the number of people with specific needs continue to increase. Existing protection monitoring system does not comprehensively capture protection concerns. Absence of information on GBV prevention and response in emergencies including trafficking in evacuation centers and affected areas. Lack of psychosocial services for service providers Lack of referral system for GBV cases in evacuation centers. Limited safe learning spaces, facilities and learning materials for children. Location and data disaggregation for IDPs in host communities. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Over 117,000 people are still displaced in Zamboanga with an estimated 59,000 still inside 35 evacuation centres. High and serious public health risk as a result of severe lack of sanitation facilities in many evacuation centres. No hand washing facilities, no separate bathing facilities for male and female. Inadequate water supply with one person only receiving 10 litres of water per day whereas the minimum standard water requirement is 15 litres per day. Displacement sites are muddy with clogged drainage systems and inadequate management of excreta and gray water. Additional 1,045 water kits distributed. A total of 14,481 water kits distributed to the different evacuation centres. 155 hygiene kits distributed in evacuation centres. On-going construction of 50 additional latrines in the Joaquin Enriquez Sports Complex. WASH technical working group established and convened on 3 October to develop strategic response plan. 180 family council leaders in the sports complex trained to conduct hygiene promotion sessions. Insecurity and limited access to worst affected areas. 180 family council leaders trained in hygiene promotion
Philippines Zamboanga and Basilan Emergency Situation Report No. 6 5 Inadequate space to establish WASH facilities such as latrines, hand washing and bathing facilities. Cultural barriers for improved hygiene practices. Logistics A total of 17 trucks deployed to support land transport of relief items for subsequent delivery via sea vessel to Zamboanga since the emergency onset. One mobile storage unit delivered and airlifted to Zamboanga. Constraints: Request from the Protection Cluster on clarifying customs clearing at Zamboanga seaport. $300,000 required to meet logistics request from the humanitarian community. General Coordination On 3 October, an orientation on the cluster approach was provided to local government cluster lead agencies and the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Zamboanga. The Camp Coordination and Camp Management, Education, Food and NFIs, Health including reproductive health and mental health and psychosocial support, Nutrition, Protection including child protection and GBV sub-cluster and WASH clusters were activated by the government in Zamboanga. City cluster focal points are currently being finalized. Preliminary field level contact lists and meeting schedules is now available and a request has been sent out to partners for information on on-going response activities to generate a Who is doing What Where map. Background on the crisis On 9 September, fighting broke out in coastal villages of Zamboanga city between a splinter group of the Moro National Liberation Front and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The clashes displaced more than 120,000 people during the height of the conflict, left over 200 dead and at least 10,000 homes destroyed by fire and bombardment in the most affected villages of Kasanyangan, Mariki, Rio Hondo, Santa Barbara, and Santa Catalina in Zamboanga city. In coordination with government authorities, an inter-agency team including UN and non-governmental organization partners conducted a rapid needs assessment in Zamboanga evacuation centres on 18 September. Key findings include the need for camp management support, non-food items, WASH and protection monitoring. Cluster co-leads have since scaled up their presence to provide direct assistance to affected communities and to government lead agencies. Due to persistent insecurity and lack of humanitarian access, information on approximate needs of displaced people in Basilan remains a significant gap. For further information, please contact: David Carden, Head of Office, carden@un.org, Tel: +63 2 901 0265, Cell +63 917 513 9924 Muktar Farah, Head of Sub-Office, muktar@un.org, Tel: +63 64 421 7932, Cell +63 917 587 8179 For more information, please visit www.unocha.org www.reliefweb.int http://philippines.humanitarianresponse.info To be added or deleted from this Sit Rep mailing list, please e-mail: addawe@un.org