Zamboanga City  – With the magnitude of families affected by the clash between government troops and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)-Misuari faction, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) created a database on the profiles of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to assess their needs and for planning purposes.

Secretary Soliman explained that this IDPs database will help the Department in developing programs and services that are suited to their needs and culturally sensitive.

Secretary Soliman said that the database now contains profiles of 13,165 families or 67,198 persons. The encoding started on September 16 at the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) by volunteers, faculty members of WMSU, and Information Technology staff of DSWD-Region IX.

The encoding will continue until all profiles of IDPs are done. The database has generated information on IDPs especially the vulnerable persons and families such pregnant women, fire victims, persons with disabilities, lactating mothers, senior citizens, and children.

The initial data generated through the database will enable the local social welfare office, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and other local government units to devise appropriate steps in managing relief operations at the evacuation centers. The evacuation centers are jointly managed by DSWD and the city social welfare and development office.

In a related development, the DSWD already started to distribute colored cards as a replacement to the green family access cards which were initially given to the evacuees.

“These colored cards will be used to classify the evacuees’ location so as to hasten the delivery of service,” Secretary Soliman added.

The classification will be according to three (3) color codes. The Yellow cards were given to evacuees who are staying at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex or Grandstand which serves as the biggest evacuation center. Blue cards were distributed to the evacuees staying in different evacuation centers. The pink cards were issued to the home-based evacuees or the ones who transferred and are currently staying in the house of their relatives and friends far from the critical areas.

“These color-coded cards will systematize the delivery of relief goods to the displaced families in Zamboanga City and to ensure that no one is left unserved,” DSWD Secretary Soliman said. ### September 24, 2013