VOA标准英语10月-Thousands of People Displaced in Philippines 'For
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The International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, says hundreds of thousands of people in the Philippines war-torn Central Mindanao Province are facing a humanitarian1 crisis. But, it says, no one is paying attention. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.Fighting is a way of life in Central Mindanao. It has been going on for decades. And the International Committee of the Red Cross said the conflict displaces about 100,000 people every year.
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| Philippine troops fire a howitzer towards the positions of the Muslim separatist rebels in Maguindanao province, 21, Aug, 2008 |
But an eruption2 of fighting between government and Muslim rebels in August intensified3 the crisis. The Philippines government estimates that during a three-week period, about 600,000 people were affected4 by the fighting and many of them fled.
To add to their woes5, the Red Cross said people in Central Mindanao were hit by a typhoon. It said heavy flooding also caused massive displacement6.
The ICRC Outgoing Head of Delegation7 in the Philippines, Felipe Donoso, called this a "double punishment". Despite these events, he said the people in the region are all but forgotten. He noted8 that long, low-simmering conflicts often do not make the news.
He said, "But this low intensity9 armed conflict-it produces high intensity of humanitarian consequences on the people - meaning, of course, civilians11 being killed, their property being destroyed, their crops, their livelihoods12 and a situation of extended period of displacement, which is new, if you compare it with recent years."
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| Philippines, Mindanao Island |
Donoso explained that people in Mindanao are used to being displaced. But, he said, they typically leave their homes for a few days, until the immediate13 danger is over, and then they return.
However, this time, he said the intensity of the fighting has caused widespread security problems and fear among the people. He said many who do not dare to go home have been staying in temporary shelters for several weeks.
He said people in this region are constantly on the move. And he said that moving from one place to another has become a normal way of life. "These people, they know, that whatever happens every year, they will be displaced - once, twice, three times a year," said Donoso. "And this is part of life. This is part of life. And that is the drama of these people. And that is why they do not get our interest. There is no visibility, but there are really humanitarian consequences. There is a real situation there. There are really people dying. There are really people affected every day with heavy humanitarian consequences and no visibility."
Donoso said the ICRC has stepped up the distribution of food and essential items to displaced people in Central Mindanao. He said that since August, aid has been handed out to more than 120,000 people.
In addition, he said the Red Cross is monitoring the effects of the hostilities14 on the civilian10 population. It also is speaking regularly with the warring parties on their need to protect civilians.
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