COTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro Government is continuously extending aid to its constituents greatly affected by massive floods brought about by persistent rains since the last week of July and early weeks of August.
Through Proclamation No. 0003 s. 2022 signed by Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim on Aug. 18, Bangsamoro region is now placed under ‘state of calamity’ from Aug. 18 to Oct. 31, 2022 after most parts of Maguindanao, the region’s Special Geographic Area (SGA), and this city were massively flooded.
As per document, which was released on Thursday, Aug. 25, the declaration of calamity will provide augmentation to the ongoing response operations and recovery efforts of BARMM.
Accordingly, 20 barangays in Cotabato City and 63 barangays of North Cotabato in SGA have been flooded. Meanwhile, the province of Maguindanao was placed under state of calamity on Wednesday, Aug. 24, as flood submerged 105 villages in its 13 towns.
Over 76,000 households from the said BARMM component areas were affected by the massive flood.
The Ministry of Social Service and Development (MSSD) has been distributing 25 kilos of rice and various canned goods to each of the affected families/households.
MSSD’s Chief of Disaster Response Management Division Hasim Guiamil said the ministry has already provided a total of 25,208 food packages.
Of which, 4,203 food packages were distributed in Cotabato City; 4,696 in SGA; and 16,309 in Maguindanao.
“Tuluy-tuloy po itong ating pamamahagi ng relief goods sa ating mga kababayan. Doon sa mahigit 76 thousand households, nagkaroon tayo ng augmentation efforts. Tinitignan natin na around 60 percent or 56 thousand households doon sa total affected population ang mako-cover natin,” Guiamil said.
Guiamel noted that it was an “augmentation effort” since there are also aid from the local government units and local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) offices.
Meanwhile, the Project Tulong Alay sa Bangsamorong Nangangailangan (TABANG) has distributed relief goods to 12,099 households in Maguindanao and SGA.
Per family or household received food packages containing 10 kilos of rice, water container, canned goods, 1 kilo of salt, 1 kilo of green monggo, and a 500 ml bottle of cooking oil. (Aisah Abas/BIO)
