One dead, over 150,000 displaced in Maguindanao floods

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A 13-year-old boy has been confirmed dead from drowning in floods that continued to ravage Maguindanao’s 14 towns as of Saturday.

The Regional Disaster Risk Management Council in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao identified the fatality as Muhajid Dalagan of Barangay (village) Dalagan in the municipality of Pagalungan.

Dalagan’s body was fished out from Pagalungan River on Friday, the RDMC said.

Citing reports from the field, Secretary Pombaen Karon-Kadir of the ARMM’s Department of Social Welfare and Development, said the number of people displaced by the floods in the towns of Mangudadatu, Datu Paglat, Datu Paglas, SK Pendatun, Sultan sa Barongis, Datu Piang, Talayan, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Northern Kabuntalan, Mother Kabuntalan, Montawal, Pagalungan, Buluan and Pandag had gone up to 154,750.

“Our municipal and provincial social workers have attended to their needs,” Kadir said, citing reports from Maguindanao provincial social welfare officer Elsie Amil.

“But we need augmentation, so we already updated DSWD national for more food provisions,” Kadir said, adding that Maguindanao Governor Esmael  Mangudadatu has ordered the distribution of rice and canned goods to the affected families.

Maguindanao provincial administrator Abdulwahab Tungga said water continues to rise because of continuous rains in areas surrounding Maguindanao.

“There’s no typhoon here but we noticed heavy rains in Bukidnon and South Cotabato. This water ends up in Maguindanao. We are preparing for the worst,” Tungga said.

Fear of higher flood waters downstream various rivers from the Liguasan Marsh increased after about six hectares of water hyacinths clogged the Taviran Bridge, which connects the towns of Datu Odin Sinsuat and Mother Kabuntalan.

Maguindanao and Cotabato City Representative Bai Sandra Sema personally supervised the removal of water hyacinths from the Taviran River on Saturday morning, along with soldiers from the 6th Infantry Division and members of the Maguindanao police, with the use of a water master, a piece of equipment complete with backhoe and claws.

Local officials in Cotabato City were also braced themselves for rising waters as more water hyacinths from upriver started to accumulate anew along the Quirino and Delta bridges, east of this city.

Last June, three persons were killed and in waist-deep floods that were aggravated by water hyacinths clogging up the Rio Grande de Mindanao that flows through Cotabato City.