Map of South Cotabato province. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – South Cotabato's Surallah and Tampakan municipalities have been declared under a state of calamity due to recurring floods caused by heavy rains the past four days.
“We are closely monitoring other areas affected by the disaster,” Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) officer-in-charge Rolly Aquino said Tuesday.
With the declaration, Aquino said the province can now use its Quick Response Fund (QRF) in responding to calamities and rebuilding damaged infrastructures.
In Surallah town, three barangays (villages) were greatly affected by a series of floods and landslides.
Surallah Mayor Pedro Matinong Jr. said the submerged villages include Tubi-Ala, Upper Sepaka and Little Baguio.
“The roads in these barangays have become inaccessible, crops have been damaged, while a bridge also collapsed,” Matinong said in a statement Tuesday.
He said heavy equipment were immediately deployed to aid the disaster-stricken areas, while the municipal social welfare office distributed food packs to the affected residents.
In the municipality of Tampakan, three barangays were also severely affected by floods and landslides.
The barangays include Palo 19, Danlag, and Pula Bato, all close to the mine exploration area of the Tampakan mining project. (PNA)
