Regions Briefs: June 7, 2019
200 families flee as flood hits Cotabato villages
KIDAPAWAN CITY—Heavy downpour on Wednesday triggered floods in several villages in Cotabato province, prompting the evacuation of 200 families in Midsayap town and the suspension of classes in Kabacan town on Thursday, reports from disaster response agencies said. In Midsayap, eight houses near an irrigation canal in Barangay Malingao were swept away by flash floods, according to the town’s social welfare and development office. Omar Obas, Cotabato schools division superintendent, said schools in Midsayap and parts of Matalam town were also flooded. —WILLIAMOR MAGBANUA
Rebels storm construction firm in Bukidnon
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Suspected members of the New People’s Army stormed the field office of a construction firm in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon province, on Thursday morning, police said. In a report, Police Lt. Col. Al Abanales, Malaybalay police chief, said the rebels held at gunpoint a watchman of Venray Construction Corp. before they doused a truck with gasoline and set it on fire at 2:30 a.m. —JIGGER J. JERUSALEM
Jobs await workers of Zambo canning plant hit by blast
ZAMBOANGA CITY—A canning company in this city said it would employ at least 300 workers who were displaced by the temporary shutdown of another plant. Southwest Asian Canning Corp. was forced to stop its operation to give way to the repair of its factory boiler, which exploded on Tuesday last week, killing one worker and hurting two others. Edgar Lim, manager of Permex Producer and Exporter Corp., assured all workers of Southwest Asian that they would have jobs in Permex while waiting for work to resume in their own factory. “No one will be displaced. Permex is glad to have them,” he said. Lim, also president of Industrial Group of Zamboanga Inc., said canning factories here helped each other to ensure that no factory worker would end up jobless, especially during emergency situations. Permex is one of the country’s leading exporters of its own brand of canned sardines and tuna products. Southwest Asian produces another brand of sardines, which is being exported by Permex. —JULIE ALIPALA
