Tornado hits Maguindanao town

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - More than a dozen Moro families are in need of help after a tornado destroyed their houses and inland tilapia fish pens in Salibo, Maguindanao over the weekend.

Community leaders said the tornado swept through a newly established enclave of Moro peasants in the area in Sitio Busligan in Barangay Andavit in south of Salibo, causing the displacement of villagers.

The displaced folks have just returned to the area, abandoned for decades due to encounters in the past between Moro rebels and military forces, to venture into tilapia culture with the help of the office of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu.

Engineer Wahab Tunga, provincial administrator, said the affected families need immediate help from relief organizations.

He said the tornado victims want to rebuild their houses in Sitio Busligan to enable them to continue with their tilapia raising projects.

The Maguindanao provincial government had earlier extended relief assistance to the displaced families, now temporarily sheltered in houses of relatives in nearby barangays.

Barangay officials have asked the Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Relief Team of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to help facilitate the reconstruction of the houses damaged by the tornado.