THREE of the country’s biggest Christian and evangelical groups banded together to strengthen coordination and response actions in rebuilding the embattled Marawi City as they appeal for help in rebuilding houses, schools and mosques destroyed during the siege.
The faith-based organizations (FBOs) said efforts to realize peace and lasting development remain to be a major challenge in Marawi City as it calls on all religious groups into “Transforming Faith into Action.”
The Catholic Church, through the National Secretariat for Social Action (Nassa)/Caritas Philippines, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) and the Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC)—Philippine Relief and Development Services, recently gathered to strengthen coordination and response among different churches in their humanitarian response in Marawi.
“We are now considered to be the strongest alliance of FBOs in the country with over 30,000 local churches, national organizations and international affiliations, and it is imperative that we do our share to help our Maranao brothers and sisters” said Bishop Noel Pantoja, PCEC national director.
So far, the group already made a combined P28.5 million worth of direct response helping more than 10,000 internally displaced families. In the last five months, the collective efforts were able to provide food packs, hygiene and shelter kits, essential non-food items, medical and psychosocial support and other capacity-building activities for the internally displaced people and volunteers in Marawi City, Iligan City, Cagayan de Oro and other neighboring provinces.
“What we want is for Marawi to return to normal. We lived a simple life in our community without any presence of complex infrastructures like what are being planned in our place,” said Arwa Macasayan, 20, of Tindeg Ranao. She identified as priority needs the rebuilding of their houses, schools and mosques.
The FBOs see the need to continue consulting and working with the affected communities in planning and implementing its rehabilitation plans for Marawi.
“While we see these efforts as still needed on ground, we are also intensifying our campaign to promote peace, solidarity and cooperation among Christians and Muslims,” said Fr. Edwin Gariguez, executive secretary of Nassa/Caritas Philippines. “Efforts to start the process of healing are ongoing and the FBOs’ initiatives to realize this goal is vital to continuous dialogue and reconciliation.”
Darlene Marquez-Caramanzana, executive assistant of the NCCP, said the alliance of the three Christian councils in the Philippines sees the necessity of working together to be relevant and responsive to the needs of the people especially those affected by the Marawi crisis.
“We affirm that collective action and the people’s participation in any action has significant impact on the life of the people who have been in waiting for a long time.” Marquez-Caramanzana said.
“Part of the action plans now is to come up with a Philippine FBO Forum that would be the central platform of the FBOs in responding to humanitarian and development needs of the poorest and the most vulnerable, and the displaced and the marginalized,” Fr. Gariguez said.
He said other Christian and evangelical groups will be invited to strengthen the organization, and to ensure greater coordination and timely delivery of response and services.
The NCCP is the ecumenical fellowship of Protestant and non-Roman Catholic denominations in the Philippines, working on humanitarian, development and advocacy as part of its programs.
PHILRADS is the relief and development arm of PCEC, working hand-in-hand with the local churches doing its holistic ministries.
NASSA/Caritas Philippines is the humanitarian, development and advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
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