30 villages in Maguindanao flooded due to rains

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — At least 30 villages in the four towns of Maguindanao have been flooded due to rains spawned by the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ), disaster officials said.

Myrna Angot, chair of the Office of Civil Defense in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OCD-ARMM), said the affected barangay (villages) were low-lying communities near the Liguasan marsh.

These are the towns of Datu Montawal, Pagalungan, Sultan sa Barongis and Paglat.

“No evacuation or displacement yet,” Angot said. “If the rain continues, chances are people will vacate their homes and go to higher ground.”

Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat have been experiencing light to moderate rain the past three days brought about by the ITCZ.

Angot said the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Action Team (HEART), the disaster action team of the ARMM, has been preparing to extend aid to affected families.

The water levels in some villages of Montawal and Sultan sa Barongis have reached as high as the knee and residents fear the inclement weather will worsen the situation. SFM