Flash floods hit low-lying central Mindanao towns

COTABATO CITY — Flash floods spawned by heavy rains swept through low-lying towns in central Mindanao on Monday, affecting thousands of villagers.

Among the towns that got submerged as rivers crisscrossing the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur and Cotabato swelled and overflowed are Pagalungan and Montawal, both in Maguindanao del Sur and Pikit in Cotabato province.

All three towns are near the 220,000-hectare Liguasan Delta, a catch basin for more than a dozen big rivers that spring from hinterlands in the provinces of Bukidnon, Cotabato, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat.

Major Gen. Alex Santos Rillera, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, on Tuesday said that personnel of different units under the 6th ID had been deployed to flooded areas to help in rescue and relief operations of local government units.

“There was an immediate response from our troops in municipalities that were hit by floods,” Rillera said.

Initial reports from LGUs, the 6th ID and agencies of the Bangsamoro government indicated that low-lying areas in Maguindanao del Sur’s adjoining Datu Hoffer, Shariff Aguak, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Pandag, Talayan, Guindulungan, Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Datu Unsay were also hit by rampaging floodwaters from upland areas nearby.

The compiled reports also stated that, as of Tuesday, the calamity has affected 31, 265 villagers, mostly ethnic Maguindanaons.