Leyte NGO brings relief aid to displaced families in Samar

Press Release
By Leyte Center for Development, Inc.
June 25, 2006

SAN JOSE DE BUAN, Samar  –  At least 325 peasant families affected by armed conflict benefited from the relief effort launched here by the Leyte Center for Development, Inc. (LCDE) June 21.

The beneficiaries came from Babaclayon, Aguingayan, San Pedro, Cataydungan, Hagbay, Hibacaan and Gusa – the villages in San Jose de Buan hardest hit by armed clashes between the military and the communist rebels.

Food packs which consisted of rice, sardines and other vital provisions such as salt, sugar, soap and plastic mat were given to the beneficiaries during the relief delivery operation. The relief aid was granted by the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Jazmin Jerusalem, LCDE Executive Director, said that the relief mission was conducted to give immediate assistance to the victims who are already experiencing food shortage.

“The relief mission was our response to the request of the local government of San Jose de Buan and the village chiefs to extend relief aid to the affected families. We received information that the victims are in dire need of food and material assistance,” Jerusalem said.

It was learned that the victims evacuated their villages early this year due to the intense armed clashes. Most of them have not yet returned to their communities for fear for their lives. They are presently taking shelter with their relatives in the town proper and in other neighboring villages.

To date, this was the second relief effort the LCDE has launched in San Jose de Buan. The agency conducted its first relief operation last December 14 where it served 350 families from eight barrios who fled their homes due to incidents of abuses allegedly perpetrated by the military.

The Leyte Center for Development, Inc. is a non-government organization assisting natural and man-made disaster-stricken communities in Eastern Visayas. Its programs range from disaster preparedness and mitigation, emergency response, rehabilitation assistance, advocacy and community health. The agency has already served more than 24,000 families from 455 communities in 32 municipalities in the region.