MANILA, Philippines - House Speaker Prospero Nograles on Tuesday urged Mindanao congressmen to use part of their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or more popularly known as pork barrel, to aid civilians displaced by the latest conflict between government troops and Moro rebels.
A report over radio dzXL quoted Nograles as saying that it would be a big help to internally-displaced people if each Mindanao solon gives at least P100,000 from his or her pork barrel.
Nograles likewise assigned Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez to personally check the situation of evacuees in Mindanao and assess how Congress can extend relief efforts.
At least 28 people were killed when suspected MILF rebels attacked five towns in Lanao del Norte and Maasim town in Sarangani on early Monday morning.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council said as of 3 p.m. Monday, some 1,870 families or 9, 350 individuals were affected and forced to evacuate to evacuation centers in Ozamiz City in Misamis Oriental. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV