Mindanao evacuees have no plans of going back

Majority of families displaced by armed hostilities two years ago in Mindanao has no more plans of going back to their places of origin. They feel that it is not peaceful yet and conflict may arise again.

Secondly, they have nothing anymore to return to as most of them have lost their houses, belongings and livelihood.

Worst, new settlers have already laid claim to their lands as these were left unattended for almost two years now.

These were the main reasons given by 57 percent of 400 evacuees in North Cotabato interviewed by Minland, an NGO contracted by the World Bank to conduct a Social Assessment Project in Mindanao (MinSAP), aimed at determining the sentiments, needs and problems of conflict-affected communities, victims and evacuees.

The ramaining 43 percent of the respondents said they still want to return because it is their birthplace and they left a farm there.

The evacuees in North Cotabato are among the over one million individuals in four regions (ARMM, Regions 9,11 and 12) who were forced to leave their communities during the all-out war waged by the previous administration against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in March to May 2000.

While most evacuees (about 865,000 individuals) have already returned to their places of origin or have moved into new settlements, there are still over 100,000 persons staying in government evacuation and resettlement areas, or living with relatives and host families, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Most evacuees interviewed by Minland in North Cotobato stay in government evacuation centers while others stay in makeshift shelters or live with their relatives. More than half (58 percent) of the respondents originally came from Kabacan and other towns in North Cotabato where intense fighting occurred between government troops and MILF rebels two years ago.