TORRENTIAL rains fueled by the southwest monsoon and a lingering low-pressure area (LPA) inundated towns in Maguindanao, displacing more than 34,000 people over the weekend, according to the national disaster agency.
At least 6,917 families across 15 villages were affected as floodwaters swamped Pandag, Buluan, and Paglat towns, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s (NDRRMC) Situational Report No. 2, published on Tuesday morning.
Most of those displaced, nearly 33,960 people, sought shelter with relatives or neighbors, while only 625 individuals entered evacuation centers.
This comes as the national government ramps up its crackdown on questionable flood control projects, following the typhoons in July that exposed both the country’s overwhelmed drainage systems and alleged corruption in flood mitigation efforts.
In Pandag, flooding reached six villages, including Kabuling and Malangit, while in Buluan, five villages were submerged. Paglat reported four villages under water, with more than 8,000 people affected.
The low-pressure area, designated LPA 08F, was first detected on Aug. 22 outside the Philippine area of responsibility and has since remained within, with a fluctuating potential to strengthen into a tropical depression.
By late Monday, the weather bureau said it had only a “medium” chance of intensifying within 24 hours. The fresh flooding comes just days after Tropical Storm Isang, which later intensified into Typhoon Kajiki, battered northern Luzon and triggered monsoon rains across the country, affecting over 50,000 people. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
