ARMM Information Chief Ali Macabalang disclosed that two children identified as Mujahad Dalagan, 13, and Cecil Mebpandi, 8, were confirmed dead of drowning in two of inundated barangays in Pagalungan town as reported by Loreto Rirao, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Chunks of water hyacinths spanning more than 300 hectares in the 220,000-hectare Ligwasan Marsh drifted along tributary rivers amid continuous rains that began six days ago and spawned floods in 14 towns of this province and parts of North Cotabato.
The Army’s 6th Infantry Division sent in Saturday 100 more soldiers to complement troops and civilian volunteers converging since Wednesday to clear some 10-hectare size water lilies that clogged the passageway of Taviran Bridge along Butilen river and forced water to spill over to most of villages.
The four-day clearing works of dozens of volunteers had splintered a dismal portion of water lilies clogging the bridge, prompting ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo to call on Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chairperson Luwalhati Antonino to lend giant water masters, which were due to arrive Sunday.
Brig. Gen. Rey Ardo, 6th Infantry Division commander, also on request of the ARMM executive, ordered the establishment of a command center on the clogged riverbank to harmonize anew the seemingly disorganized clearing operations.
“We need to clear the bridge of the water lilies before more rains come and push down larger chunks of hyacinths to the structure,” Sinarimbo told supervising military officials, even as he expressed fear of a possible collapse of the bridge under heavier pressure.
Guided by Kabuntalan-based military contingents, Sinarimbo, Director Rirao and ARMM relief officials witnessed the condition of the inundated town hall, police station and all schools in this town.
In an earlier report, ARMM’s Social Welfare head Pombaen Karon-Kader said several schools have also been submerged in the towns of Northern Kabuntalan, Pagalungan, Montawal, Buluan, S. K. Pendatun, Sultan-sa-Barongis, Paglat, Datu Salibo and Datu Piang.
Kader said her agency has been distributing relief goods to the 154,750 displaced villagers, even as she expressed fear their supply would not suffice for a longer period especially when more villagers flee homes amid signs of continuous rains. Assistance from the outside is needed, she said.
Sinarimbo said he had asked officials of some United Nations’ humanitarian agencies to send in relief assistance. (AGM/ALT/RVC-PIA9 BaSulTa)
