Relief goods distributed to Maguindanao flood victims

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines  --- The provincial government has launched relief  missions to flooded towns in the first and second districts of the province.

The relief operations, led by Lynette Estandarte, chief budget staff of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, started in Pagalungan, Montawal and Datu Paglas, where dozens of barangays have been inundated due to heavy rains since Friday.

The relief goods distributed to thousands of evacuees in the flooded towns were comprised of sardines, instant noodles, rice and medicines for common ailments.

Estandarte said local police and military units assisted in the relief operations aiming to serve 13, 602 affected families.

“That is just the initial tally of the affected families. Our workers are still validating reports stating that there are also flood victims in some areas in the first district of Maguindanao,” Estandarte said.

In  a text message, Mangudadatu told reporters that he is worried of possible dislocation of more villagers in the province if heavy rains  continue to pour.

“Big rivers that originate from mountains around Maguindanao flow down into rivers that pass through our province before draining into the eastern seacoast of Central Mindanao,” Mangudadatu said.

Mangudadatu said classes in public schools in the flooded Maguindanao towns have been suspended.

The provincial government is planning to procure a modern dredger to be used in the dredging of heavily-silted channels of the Rio Grande De Mindanao and the tributaries of the Allah River.

He said the mechanized dredger could cost around P100 million.

“If we can continuously dredge the rivers traversing farming enclaves in Maguindanao, we can effectively unclog them from silt and debris. The silt dug from the river beds can be used as filling materials that can be piled along the river banks to become flood protection dikes,” Mangudadatu said.

The once navigable Rio Grande and Allah Rivers were the same waterways used in the 16th century by the Spaniards as main linkages to trading centers in the Raya area, or upper delta of what is now Maguindanao province.

Tugboats towing huge logs from the second district of the province were seen navigating in the two rivers until the mid 1960s.