DepEd-North Cotabato conducts counseling on Pikit IDPs

PIKIT, North Cotabato - The Department of Education in North Cotabato has joined efforts to help children if families displaced by armed conflict here by conducting psychological counseling, officials said today.More than 2,000 elementary pupils have been displaced by the war between Moro rebels in at least 10 villages of Pikit. School children and their families have to flee to avoid getting caught in the cross fire as warring groups continue to trade bullets. Dr. Omar Obas, North Cotabato schools division superintendent said education supervisors and their respective teachers have started the counseling in various evacuation sites Pikit Poblacion. Obas said should normalcy is restored and children return to schools, they will still be subjected to counseling and intervention to help them cope with the trauma of being in conflict zones.Obas admitted to DXND Radyo Bida that six elementary and two high national schools were temporarily shut down and used as evacuation centers following the skirmishes that started a week ago today. With the incident, Obas said the number of school days in South and West district of Pikit have been affected. Meanwhile, members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have exchange bullets anew Friday dawn in Sitio Balibet, Barangay Bulol, Pikit, North Cotabato. The village had been deserted by its inhabitants on the night both warring groups started shooting at each other.