Bangsamoro drafts 6-year rehabilitation plan for 10 typhoon-hit towns

A REHABILITATION plan for 10 Bangsamoro towns that were most affected by a strong typhoon in October last year is now being drafted, including strategies to ensure climate change resilience, the regional government said.

The six-year recovery and rehabilitation plan is led by the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) in partnership with the World Bank.

An initial overall planning session was held last week with representatives from the Bangsamoro ministries, regional government agencies, and some local government officials.

“These participants have successfully drafted the plan’s framework that comprises the medium to long-term goals, outcomes, sectoral objectives, and strategies,” the BPDA said in a statement on Tuesday.

A series of local-level consultations is also scheduled in the provinces of Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

“This inclusive process will further ensure the project’s long-term viability and enhance its benefits to locally impacted communities and other stakeholders,” the BPDA said.

The 10 municipalities hit hardest by severe tropical storm Nalgae, locally named Paeng, were: Datu Blah Sinsuat, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Sultan Mastura, Upi, Guindulungan, and Parang in Maguindanao; Balabagan in Lanao del Sur; Maluso in Basilan; Patikul in Sulu; and Bongao in Tawi-Tawi.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) recorded 62 deaths, mostly in the town of Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao Del Norte due to a landslide that buried a village.

More than 10 were listed as missing while 38 people were injured.

A total of 371 houses were destroyed and 480 were partially damaged, based on data from the Bangsamoro Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Damage in infrastructure and agriculture reached about P586 million. — Marifi S. Jara