(Alexander D. Lopez/davaotoday.com)
MARAWI CITY–A trader said he is hoping he could go back and check the situation of his store.
“Nasarado namin yon pero may balita ako na nabuksan daw (We closed the store but I heard some news that it was opened), he said, as he expressed hopelessness into the continuing ground operations against Maute.
“Paiba-iba ang balita na naririnig namin. Ngayon sabi nila malapit na matapos. Tapos pagka-bukas sabi naman matagal pa ang gyera (We receive different stories. Now they would say that it will end soon. Then, by the next day some would say it will last for days),” he pointed out.
The streets of Marawi are the expression of emptiness and the absence of life as all of the shops, stores, restaurants, schools, bakeries, gasoline stations and all other business establishments are closed.
In one of the major streets that lead to the Mindanao State University, all the business establishments are abandoned.
The area was once flooded with apartments and stores that cater the needs of the thousands of students, staff, and teachers of MSU.
Farmers in remote villages of the city are also worried of their farms and livestock left unattended.
Asnawi, the evacuee from Guimba is a farmer and expressed worry on the fate of his two cattle, chickens, and his planted rice.
“Wala na seguro yong mga baka ko (I suspect that my cattle were already gone),” he said, adding that he just started to plant rice in his field.
He added that most of the residents in Guimba are farmers and that they also left behind their fields and farm animals. (davaotoday.com)
