COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will conduct a ‘Ramadan Sadaqa’ on Tuesday in an effort to assist flood victims in Sultan Sa Barongis town in Maguindanao province.
The activity, an act of charity and initiated by ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman, will cater to almost 2,000 families affected by the calamity.
Ramil Masukat, Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office director, said the distribution of goods will be held in Sultan Sa Barongis, which suffered heavily from the flood. Masukat said the regional government will distribute food packs, school supplies, and hygiene kits.
The Office of Civil Defense-ARMM will augment the assistance by donating slippers, pails and dippers. All the 12 barangays of Sultan Sa Barongis are currently inundated, with five barangays reporting knee-high floodwater.
Masukat said Sultan Sa Barongis is a flood-prone municipality because of its geographical location. The town is situated within three river systems – the Ala, Kabulnan and Kakal.
The ARMM-Humanitarian Emergency Action Response Team (ARMM-HEART) is currently conducting monitoring, validation, and assessment of the extent of flood damage in other towns in Maguindanao.
Atty. Kirby Abdullah, ARMM-HEART focal person, said the team has already coordinated its activities with local government units affected by the flood. Moreover, members of the team have immediately went down to the ground as soon as reports on the flood were received.
Based on ARMM-HEART reports, the towns of Rajah Buayan, Datu Salibo, Paglat, Paglas, and Datu Abdullah Sangki were also affected by the calamity. However, most of the damage was on crops and livestock. The flood, which is caused by continuous heavy rainfall, also disrupted classes in at least six schools.
Last June 23, the country’s weather bureau, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, officially declared the start of the rainy season. The agency said that the wet season could last three more months. (Bureau of Public Information)
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