Pagalungan government declares state of calamity

DISASTER RESPONSE --- The MDRRMC of Pagalungan led by Chairman and Mayor Salik P. Mamasabulod (center) led the relief operation for families affected by the recent flooding in the municipality. (ANNE B. ACOSTA – MINDANAO EXPOSE’)

PAGALUNGAN, Maguindanao --- The Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of this town passed a resolution last January 23 putting the entire town under the state of calamity following heavy rains spawned by low pressure area (LPA) and tail end of a cold front in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Mayor Salik P. Mamasabulod said the move was due to torrential rains which immediately flooded most of the town’s barangays.

He said at least 39,760 residents from the 12 villages of Pagalungan have been affected since the other week as a result of the LPA. And PAGASA has warned anew of similar floodings and even landslides on the same affected areas after it spotted another LPA entering the path of Mindanao over the week-end.

“The flooding has affected the 12 barangays of Bagoenged, Buliok, Damalasak, Galakit, Inug-ug, Kalbugan, Kilangan, Kudal, Layog, Linandangan, Poblacion, and Dalgan,” said Mamasabulod.

Mamasabulod said the municipal government has reached and served  the families from Barangay Bagoinged, Kudal, Inug-ug, Poblacion, and Damalasak.

“The remaining affected residents shall also be served. We provided each family with six kilos of rice, sardines, sugar, coffee, and noodles,” said Mamasabulod.

Last January 23, the provincial government of Maguindanao conducted a  relief and medical mission as it  dispatched four truckloads of relief packages for the flood victims.

While flood waters have gone down in the affected barangays, residents have to deal with the thick mud brought by flood-waters.

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Mujiv Hataman together with the Humanitarian Emergency Action Response Team also distributed relief items in the town. (GILMHAR A. LAO & ANNE B. ACOSTA - MINDANAO EXPOSE’)