20,000 families displaced by floods in Maguindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – More than 20,000 families in 15 municipalities in Maguindanao and this city were displaced by floods brought about by torrential rains the past few days, disaster and social welfare officials said Friday.

The floods also prompted the Department of Education in the province to suspend classes in some areas.

Relief distribution has been going on in the affected towns, according to Secretary Pombaen Karon Kadir of the Department of Social Welfare and Development of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Kadir said her office confirmed that some 10,000 families were displaced, but the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported on its Web site that the number of has reached 16,758 in five Maguindanao towns alone.

It identified the most affected muncipalities as Mangudadatu with 4,401 families, Paglat (3,500), Buluan (3,253).  Also affected were the towns of Pandag (2,739) and Sultan sa Barongis (2,865).

The NDRRMC said it had no data on affected families in the towns of Pagalungan, Montawal and Mother Kabuntalan.

Kadir said more or less 7,000 families were affected by the sudden rise of rivers and tributaries that forced them to evacuate to higher ground in Montawal, Pagalungan and Kabuntalan Mother.

Montawal and Pagalungan are located on the banks of the Pulangui River, which emanates from Agusan.

“We have enough emergency food packs and we already distributed some to the affected families,” Kadir said, adding that no deaths have been reported so far.

She said that supplies at the DSWD-ARMM regional office were only to augment the assistance provided by the municipal and provincial relief agencies.

Abdulwahab Tunga, provincial administrator of Maguindanao, said classes in 11 public schools have been suspended since Thursday, when the Rio Grande de Mindanao and Lake Buluan overflowed.

Miriam Kawit, Maguindanao schools division superintendent, said classes in the towns of Buluan and Montawal were suspended due to the flash floods.

“Fish cages of local traders at lake of Buluan were damaged. Some roads are not passable for light vehicles,” Tunga said.

He listed the towns affected by the floods as Buluan, Datu Paglat, SK Pendatun, Mangudadatu, Datu Paglas, Sultan sa Barongis, Rajah Buayan, Datu Odin, Northern Kabuntalan, Montawal, Pagalungan, Mother Kabuntalan, Sultan Kudarat, Talitay and Datu Piang.

Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu said they were still assessing flood damage.

“So far there were no reported cases of fatalities,” he said.

Cynthia Sayadi, city administrator, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that some low-lying areas in Cotabato City were also inundated.