THE Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) has opened its doors for MSU-Marawi student evacuees on Wednesday, May 24, a university official said.
Evacuees have started to double since Wednesday noon as a result of the skirmishes between government troops and the Maute terrorist group on Tuesday, MSU-IIT Chancellor Sukarno Tanggol said in a statement posted in the university website.
“It is our obligation to help students, and we must prevent unnecessary panic,” Tanggol said.
The school, however, will only accept students and not their parents.
Tanggol said parents of MSU-Marawi students should proceed to the Iligan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office through the City Social Welfare and Development Office in Barangay Buruun, Iligan City.
Student evacuees will be housed in the student lounge in the first floor of MSU-IIT's College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) building.
Food is already being prepared for the evacuees who have not reportedly eaten since the firefight broke on Tuesday afternoon, assistant dean Noffaisah Pasandalan said, adding that donations will be accepted at the CASS lounge.
Evacuees will have to present their ID cards and fill out necessary documents to prove they are MSU-Marawi students, she said.
Certain buildings around MSU-IIT campus are off limits to outsiders, and vehicles will not be allowed to enter the university premises except those with MSU-IIT stickers and those vehicles ferrying students from MSU-Marawi.
All MSU-IIT gates will be closed by 9 p.m.
An exodus of Marawi residents going to Iligan City have started since Wednesday morning. Some residents boarded a boat going to nearby towns across Lake Lanao. (VoxPop Philippines)