23 landslides hit Kidapawan City upland villages; LGU extends assistance

KIDAPAWAN CITY — At least 50 families have been evacuated Wednesday afternoon by the local government of Kidapawan as 23 landslides were reported at the slopes of the country’s highest peak, officials said.

Light to moderate rain spawned by Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) has been affecting North Cotabato, especially around the Mt. Apo.

Psalmer Bernalte, chair of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC), said the action was based on a local ordinance, known as forced evacuation ordinance, in hauling the families who belonged to the Manobo tribe from their homes in Sitio Sudsuhayan, Barangay Ilomavis, Kidapawan City.

“We need to do it because we value the life of our inhabitants,” Bernalte said, adding that the displaced families are now housed in a village covered court and being attended to by the city social welfare office.

Bernalte said the rain which has been affecting the Mt. Apo and its environs have softened the soil, causing at least 23 landslides.

“It was very dangerous for our people to stay, so we slowly haul them,” he said, adding that some villagers refused to leave but later acceded to the local directive.

One of those affected by the forced evacuation blamed the Energy Development Corporation (EDC), saying it should be EDC that will move out of the slopes of Mt. Apo.

He said because of the geothermal plant that EDC operates, the soil of the mountain had been softened, thus the series of landslides.

The week-long light to moderate rainfall also triggered flash floods in low-lying villages of North Cotabato. Tahira Kalantongan, Pikit Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), said the floods have affected more than 7,300 families in low-lying villages located near the Liguasan marshland.

Kalantongan identified the flooded villages as Bago Inged, Buliok, Barongis, Kabaculan, Macasendeg, and Punol. Many of the affected families prefer to stay home or move a little further than evacuate to the town center. Food assistance has been extended to the affected families, Kalatongan said.

In Tulunan town, also in North Cotabato, at least five villages were flooded although the water have subsided Thursday afternoon in Barangays Marbuk, Bacung, and Daeg, and flood-prone areas as Poblacion, and Sibsib. In Maguindanao, disaster officials said water level in 21 communities have receded Thursday morning when rain have slowed down.

The Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team (HEART), the humanitarian arm of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm), has started extending assistance to affected families. (pna)