CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao, Philippines — The military has established a convergent desk at the safer ground of the embattled Datu Piang town in Maguindanao to serve as rally point for foreign and local relief services for individuals and families displaced by the raging “infighting” among Moro rebels belonging to rival factions, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division based here said.

Brig. Gen. Rey Ardo, 6th ID commanding general, said the center known as internally displaced persons (IDPs) desk has been put in place to “take care” of the smooth flow of evacuees’ relief goods and other forms of assistance amid the escalation in the fighting between the factions of Kasim Adzmi and Abunawas Ibad that has left at least 23 fatalities and displaced 3,600 persons.

The 6th Civil Military Operations Unit, Civil Military Operation Groups under Lt. Col. Manny Tocalo administers the IDP desk that will harmonize relief assistance inflow and dispersal while providing means to help ease the emotional stigma of the evacuees, 6th ID spokesman Col. Prudencio Asto said.

As of press time Monday, Asto said the IDP desk had listed some 800 freshly displaced families from the town of Guindolongan, Maguindanao and Midsayap, North Cotabato, both towns where the rebels’ factional armed skirmishes have spilled over.

Ardo said the establishment of the IDP desk will hopefully prevent overlapping deliveries of relief services and assistance to evacuees by various humanitarian agencies.