Families in Maguindanao face instability wrought by protracted armed conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic. Article 05 February 2021 Philippines
Thousands of families in Maguindanao, Southern Philippines were forced to flee several times in 2020 because of hostilities between government forces and non-state armed groups.
This has limited their access to farmlands, fishing grounds and forests. Perennial flooding and movement restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened their already unstable economic situation. Over time, they learned how to cope with challenges but their lives remain fragile and unstable they remain unable to fully sustain their daily basic needs.
With support from the Philippine Red Cross, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) distributed multipurpose cash grants to 3,200 families, or around 16,000 people, from the towns of Datu Salibo and Shariff Saydona. These cash grants allow the affected families flexibility to cover their immediate