DSWD: Mindanao floods affect 57,000 families

BLOCKED The water below the Taviran River at the border of Datu Odin Sinsuat and Kabuntalan towns in Maguindanao del Norte is completely clogged with water hyacinths on Monday, which were carried by rampaging water during heavy rains on Sunday, destroying houses along the riverbank. —PHOTO COURTESY OF DATU COY UNTONG

More than 176,000 people or over 57,000 families have been affected by flooding in Mindanao caused by the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), with Maguindanao del Sur bearing the brunt of the damage, the spokesperson of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Monday.

DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in an interview on government television that around 50,000 families across 110 barangays in Maguindanao del Sur were hit by heavy rains and floods, making it the most affected province in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In Maguindanao del Norte, large volumes of water hyacinth clogged the river under the Kabuntalan Bridge connecting Datu Odin Sinsuat and Kabuntalan towns of Maguindanao del Norte, destroying at least 60 homes, and displacing 120 families (about 600 people), officials reported.

Datuali Untong, chair of Barangay Taviran in Datu Odin Sinsuat, said families living beside the Taviran River had to be evacuated on Monday, as the free-floating water lilies mixed with mud and soil pushed downstream by strong water current, choked and caused the river to swell, destroying their homes.

Untong said the displaced families were now housed in Datu Untong Madrasah and Taviran Elementary School in Barangay Taviran.

He said residents were helping unclog the river while waiting for heavy equipment to arrive.

Nasrullah Imam, head of the Maguindanao del Norte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said the water displaced by the clogged river ended up inundating low-lying communities in Kabuntalan and Datu Odin towns.

He said the PDRRMO has requested heavy equipment from BARMM to remove the hyacinth.

Food aid

Dumlao said that as directed by President Marcos to immediately assist the flood victims, close to P4 million in aid has already been distributed to affected provinces, including Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sur, Misamis Oriental, Cotabato, Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat.

In BARMM, data from the region’s Office of Civil Defense and the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) said about 7,000 families have been displaced by the flooding that swept through Maguindanao del Sur’s towns of Shariff Aguak, Datu Piang, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Salibo and Datu Abdullah Sangki.

As of Monday, 1,500 families or about 4,800 individuals were temporarily staying in 13 evacuation centers, while more than 1,700 families or 6,600 individuals were staying with relatives or friends outside the centers.

Dumlao said DSWD has ample supplies and was providing family food packs and nonfood items, including hygiene kits, sleeping kits and kitchen supplies to the displaced families in coordination with the local governments and MSSD.

“Nationwide, our stockpile is close to three million food packs, and these are ready to be deployed anytime,” she said.

Cash, too

Dumlao said the DSWD was ready to roll out emergency cash transfers and cash-for-work programs to support affected families as the emergency response transitions to recovery.

She said these programs will be triggered by official declarations of a state of calamity and verified reports from local government units. Other support, such as medical aid and livelihood assistance, may also be extended depending on assessed needs, Dumlao added.

“The ultimate goal is to restore normal psychosocial functioning and help families return to regular life,” she said.