Flashflood displaces hundreds in upland Cotabato town

COTABATO CITY — Some 700 villagers were forced to evacuate to high grounds after a large river in the hinterland Magpet town in Cotabato overflowed due to heavy downpour late Sunday.

The local government unit of Magpet and the office of Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza stated in separate reports released on Monday morning that the barangay folks in farming enclaves close to the banks of the Bantac River have relocated to upland areas.

Emergency responders had been dispatched to extend essential relief support, according to Ms. Mendoza.

The flashflood ravaged some 200 hectares of corn and orchard farms, according to barangay officials and personnel of the Magpet Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

Ms. Mendoza, chairperson of the Cotabato Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said she has directed the personnel of their provincial agriculture office to assess the damages to crops the flashflood had caused and help affected farmers rehabilitate their flood-stricken farms. — John Felix M. Unson