Editor’s Note: Heavy rain induced by Typhoon Paeng has submerged parts of Maguindanao province, one of the areas of the Bangsamoro region. The coastal municipality of Datu Blah Sinsuat is one of the towns hit hardest by severe tropical storm, with flash floods and landslides providing a double whammy on hapless residents. Agencies of the BARMM government have deployed manpower and relief assistance to alleviate the suffering of the affected residents.
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BARMM News
Guest author:
- ATTY. NAGUIB G. SINARIMBO, Minister, Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG)
Short link: https://wp.me/paaccn-non
We finally made it to Datu Blah Sinsuat today (October 30) to deliver relief assistance and inspect the extent of damage suffered by this municipality as a result of the combination of landslide and flashflood brought about by typhoon Paeng.
We braved the rough sea today to be able to get to this municipality as the access road via the coastal road from Datu Odin to Datu Blah has been damaged extensively by landslides in barangay Matuber and other sections of the road. The two bridges in Tapian have been damaged also.
The other access road via Upi has also been cut off because of the damaged bridge in barangay Kaba Kaba, Upi.
While I travel by sea, we have asked our Relief Team to bring the goods via the Upi-Datu Blah Road. The LGU (local government unit) of Datu Blah, led by Mayor Datu Marshall Sinsuat received the goods on the damaged bridge in Barangay Kaba Kaba, Upi. They manually carried and transferred these goods across the river to their truck and carried it all the way to Pura, Datu Blah Sinsuat municipality.
On our way back to the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) in Cotabato City, our car driven by the Mayor himself had to be literally pulled by a farm tractor to get us to Upi.
I am happy, however, to see the joint action of Mayor Marshall and Mayor Tin Tin Piang of Upi to restore this bridge so we can facilitate the transport of relief assistance to Datu Blah municipality. This is the kind of leadership we need in the LGUs in BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao).
On our way home, i dropped by Upi to hand over our relief assistance to Mayor Piang.
Our day was capped by a meeting by the Chief Minister (Ahod Balawagy “Al-Hajj Murad” Ebrahim) with Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo, Jr., Defense Secretary Jose C. Faustino, Jr., Interior Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr., Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo, and Senator Robin “Abdul Aziz” Padilla. The Bangsamoro Government provided these good officials of the National Government the BARMM Updates on Typhoon Paeng and the Actions taken by the BARMM Government. (/)