DATU SAUDI AMPATUAN, Maguindanao (MindaNews / 06 August) -- Fifty-five year old Norma Silad, a vendor in the public market here, worries
Fifty-five year old Norma Silad, a vendor in the public market here, worries about intermittent armed conflicts in her area but admits she is more worried now about displacements brought about by more frequent flooding. “You can run away from bullets and come back to your place when the fighting ends. You just cannot escape easily from the floods. Floods destroy our crops and vegetables and kill our livelihood,” she laments.
The low-lying and marshy areas are most susceptible to flooding, mainly attributable to the rivers and streams that traverse Maguindanao del Sur, some parts of Maguindanao del Norte and their surrounding provinces. The Rio Grande de Mindanao, which cuts through Cotabato City before emptying into Moro Gulf, is the longest in Mindanao, and second in the country in terms of size. Its major tributary rivers include the Pulangi River and Kabacan River.
With Typhoon Paeng’s heavy downpour reaching around 300 to 400 millimeters precipitation, houses beside rivers were carried away by flash floods. Even communities far from the rivers and streams were also flooded. Rescuers assist residents trapped by floodwaters in Barangay Kabakaba, Upi, Maguindanao del Sur on Friday . Photo courtesy of BARMM-READi
Despite her predicament then, Aileen and members of her organization distributed rice, eggs, noodles, rubber slippers and other relief items to the displaced families who fled without being able to bring money, food or even extra clothing. “I cannot help but lend assistance to mothers who held on to their children and were unable to bring anything because the floods were too quick to rise,” she said.
“We all benefit from the roads, especially when we transport our goods. Everyone uses the road and without it, there will be no economic activities. However right now when it rains hard, the rainwater quickly flows down to the houses along the roadside,” Melan explained. Even with moderate downpours, Maguindanao del Sur towns are not spared from floods. Last July 1, rains caused rivers to overflow, flooding 12 towns — Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Datu Montawal, Mamasapano, Pagalungan, Datu Salibo, Sultan sa Barongis, Mangudadatu, Gen. SK Pendatun, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Piang, Ampatuan and Paglat.
Youth leader Myrah Sahid thinks that the regional and local governments can prove their worth now. In 2008, her family was displaced by the fighting between the MILF and the troops of the Philippine government. After the signing in March 2014 of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro , the peace agreement between government and the MILF, “we wanted to go back to where our home was but we couldn’t anymore.
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