ARMM gears up for possible deportations of Filipinos in Sabah

MANILA -- Amid the ongoing Sabah stand-off, authorities in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) have taken steps in preparation for the possible evacuation of Filipinos in the disputed territory in Malaysia, the state disaster agency said Wednesday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the Armm government has created Task Force Tabang Basulta (Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi) in anticipation of a mass deportation of Filipinos from Malaysia to Tawi-Tawi.

The action and operation team of the local disaster agency and the Municipal Peace and Order Council held a meeting to identify the schools, state universities and municipal gyms in Sulu as the potential evacuation centers for the possible deportees from Sabah.

The Office of Civil Defense in Basulta, which has also been placed under blue alert status, ordered all its personnel to monitor and update any related information in connection with the ongoing Sabah standoff, the NDRRMC said.

A crisis management committee in the Western Mindanao Command has been likewise formed.

On Tuesday afternoon, 72 evacuees from Sabah arrived at Sibutu Island in Sulu, according to the NDRRMC.

The Philippine Coast Guard said earlier that two of its vessels have been prepositioned in Zamboanga City to assist Filipinos in Sabah who would need evacuation due to the ongoing stand-off.

President Benigno Aquino III said in earlier statements that there are currently 800,000 Filipinos in Sabah.

The ongoing conflict in the disputed area started early February when 200 followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III went to Lahad Datu town in Northern Sabah to press their territorial claim. (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)